Observation of a new Magnetic anomaly below the ferromagnetic curie temperature in Yb14MnSb11

Abstract

Yb14MnSb11 is an unusual ferromagnet with a Curie temperature of 52±1K. Recent optical, Hall, magnetic, and thermodynamic measurements indicate that Yb14MnSb11 may be a rare example of an underscreened Kondo lattice. We report the first experimental observation of a new magnetic anomaly in this system at around 47K, a few degrees below Tc. Systematic investigations of the ac and dc susceptibilities of Yb14MnSb11 single crystals reveal features associated with possible spin reorientation at this temperature. This new anomaly is extremely sensitive to the applied measurement field and is absent in temperature-dependent dc magnetization data for fields above 50Oe. The origin of this could be due to decoupling of two distinct magnetic sublattices associated with MnSb4 tetrahedra. © 2005 The American Physical Society.