Magnetic behavior and complete high-field magnetic phase diagram of the orthoferrite ErFeO3

Magnetic transitions in a single crystal of the orthoferrite ${\mathrm{ErFeO}}_{3}$ have been studied between 2 and 300 K using conventional superconducting quantum interference device measurements as well as pulsed high magnetic fields of up to 58 T. Spontaneous spin reorientations, as well as temperature and magnetic field induced spin reorientations, have been observed. At spin-reorientation transition temperatures, the ${\mathrm{Fe}}^{3+}$ sublattice exhibits a ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Gamma}}}_{4}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Gamma}}}_{2}$ transition where the magnetic coupling between the net magnetic moment of ${\mathrm{Fe}}^{3+}$ $3d$ and ${\mathrm{Er}}^{3+}$ $4f$ is antiferromagnetic, and the temperature dependence of the magnetization suggests that the order of magnitude of the interaction is ${J}_{\text{Er-Er}}l{J}_{\text{Er-Fe}}l{J}_{\mathrm{Fe}\text{\ensuremath{-}}\mathrm{Fe}}$. However, the magnetic coupling varies widely with temperature and/or magnetic field, which indicates that the ${\mathrm{Er}}^{3+}$ sublattice moment cannot be simply explained by the partial polarization of the paramagnetic spins due to the combination of the molecular field from the net ${\mathrm{Fe}}^{3+}$ moment and external applied magnetic fields. It is found that in a sufficiently high magnetic field, the magnetic interactions between the ${\mathrm{Fe}}^{3+}$ sublattice and the ${\mathrm{Er}}^{3+}$ sublattice are destroyed. Based on the detailed magnetization measurements, the complete high-field magnetic phase diagram has been obtained, providing an important framework for future investigations into the complicated magnetic interactions and magnetoelectric couplings in rare earth orthoferrites.