Magnetic Properties of Pbl-xGdxTe

Abstract

AbstractThe magnetization and magnetic susceptibility of Bridgman-grown Pb1-xGdxTe have been measured over a temperature range from 2 to 300 K and in magnetic fields from 0.01 to 50 κOe. The x-values of the crystals ranged from 0.03 to 0.07. The magnetic susceptibility followed a Curie-Weiss behavior, χ = C/(T + θ), with positive θ implying an antiferromagnetic exchange interaction between Gd ions. The magnetic field dependence of the magnetization was fitted to a modified Brillouin function with parameter values that agreed fairly well with those from Curie-Weiss plots. The magnitude of θ was comparable to the value found for Pb1-xMnxTe for similar x values; but since the ion spin is bigger for Gd this suggests that the exchange interaction in Gd-doped PbTe is roughly half the value in Mn-doped PbTe.