Magnetic anisotropy and magnetic phase transitions in RFe(10)Mo(2) (R=Pr,Nd,Sm,Dy,Ho,Er,Tm)

RFe{sub 10}Mo{sub 2} (R=Pr, Sm, Nd, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm) intermetallics were investigated by studying the temperature- or field-induced spin-reorientation transitions (SRTs). The temperature dependence of the magnetic anisotropy field was determined by means of the singular point-detection technique for the polycrystalline samples of YFe{sub 10}Mo{sub 2}, NdFe{sub 10}Mo{sub 2}, DyFe{sub 10}Mo{sub 2}, and ErFe{sub 10}Mo{sub 2}. Main emphasis was given to the theoretical analysis of the magnetic anisotropy constants and the magnetic phase transitions. The temperature dependences of the rare-earth anisotropy constants were calculated using the single-ion model within linear theory. The applicability of the linear theory of the R anisotropy is discussed. It is shown that the accuracy of this theory increases considerably with increasing temperature. A set of the crystal field and exchange field parameters for the rare-earth R{sup 3+} ions was deduced. The observed SRTs and first-order magnetization processes (FOMPs) were explained and classified. FOMP-like transitions in PrFe{sub 10}Mo{sub 2}, HoFe{sub 10}Mo{sub 2}, and ErFe{sub 10}Mo{sub 2} were identified. The temperature dependence of the FOMP fields was calculated for HoFe{sub 10}Mo{sub 2} and ErFe{sub 10}Mo{sub 2}. The physical origin of a low-temperature anomaly in the magnetization process is discussed for SmFe{sub 10}Mo{sub 2}. The spin-reorientation transitionsmore » in ErFe{sub 10}Mo{sub 2} and TmFe{sub 10}Mo{sub 2} are determined to be of first order with a discontinuous jump of the magnetization. The SRTs detected in NdFe{sub 10}Mo{sub 2} and DyFe{sub 10}Mo{sub 2} are of second order. The calculated temperature dependences of the anisotropy fields for DyFe{sub 10}Mo{sub 2} and NdFe{sub 10}Mo{sub 2} are in good agreement with the experimental data over a wide temperature range. FOMPs are predicted at low temperatures for NdFe{sub 10}Mo{sub 2}, DyFe{sub 10}Mo{sub 2}, and TmFe{sub 10}Mo{sub 2}.« less