Critical behavior study of magnetic transitions in Dy3Co single crystals

Abstract

An ac photopyroelectric calorimeter has been used to study the critical behaviour of the magnetic transitions in Dy3Co measuring thermal diffusivity, specific heat and thermal conductivity, at low temperature. There are two phase transitions, both of which present singularities in the three variables. The antiferromagnetic to paramagnetic phase transition at 42 K complies with the short range, isotropic universality class, 3D-Heisenberg (alfaexp = -0.133 for specific heat, bexp = -0.145 for thermal diffusivity, alfatheor = btheor = -0.13). In the case of the lower transition where there is a rearrangement of the antiferromagnetic spin ordering at  32 K the critical behavior shows a deviation from isotropy. These results are linked to magnetic measurements already found in literature.