Hall effect of RCo2 (R= Er and Lu) compounds

Abstract

The Hall effect of RCo2 with R = Er and Lu has been studied. LuCo2 is an exchange-enhanced Pauli paramagnet. ErCo2 is ferrimagnetic below TC = 32 K and undergoes a first-order magnetic transition at TC. The Hall resistivity ρxy was measured as a function of the magnetic field B at various temperatures. We estimated the normal (ordinary) Hall coefficient RN and the anomalous Hall coefficient RA from the analyses of the ρxy – B curves and the magnetization curves. For LuCo2, ρxy increases linearly with increasing field and its slope decreases rapidly with increasing temperature below 70 K. This is attributable to strong temperature dependence of RN. The ρxy – B curve of ErCo2 depends on a magnetic state. In the ferrimagnetic state, both RN and RA have positive values, while RN is positive and RA is negative in the paramagnetic state. We calculated RN's of nonmagnetic and ferromagnetic LuCo2 from the energy band structures and compared them with the experimental values. The origin of a sign change in RA of ErCo2 is briefly discussed.