Cluster model with random anisotropy for hysteresis jumps in CeNi1-x Cux alloys

Abstract

Some cerium compounds exhibit hysteresis cycles with sharp macroscopic jumps in the magnetization at very low temperatures. This effect is attributed to the formation of clusters in which the anisotropy competes with the applied magnetic field. Here, we present a simple model where a lattice of ferromagnetically coupled spins is separated in clusters of random sizes and with random anisotropy. Within this model, we obtain hysteresis cycles presenting jumps that behave in a similar way as the experimental ones and that disappear when increasing the temperature. The results are in good agreement with the hysteresis cycles measured at very low temperatures in CeNi1-x Cux, and the comparison with these experimental results allows to discriminate the relative importance of the mechanisms driving the thermal evolution of the cycles. © 2009 The American Physical Society.