Magnetic behavior of the nanophase of YbNi<inf>2</inf> alloys

Abstract

© 2017, Pleiades Publishing, Ltd.Variations in magnetic properties of the heavy-fermion YbNi2 alloy when milled in a high energy ball milling system have been investigated. The ferromagnetic transition (TC = 10.4 K) in the initial sample almost vanishes after milling, which leads to the appearance of a magnetic transition at T* = 3.2 K in nanocrystallites. Before milling, processes of spin–lattice relaxation of the Orbach–Aminov type with the participation of the first excited Stark sublevel of the Yb3+ ion located at 75 K are dominating in the electron spin dynamics in the paramagnetic phase of the alloy. A comparative study of the temperature dependence of the magnetic properties and spectra of electron paramagnetic resonance in poly- and nanocrystalline samples indicates the existence of a magnetic inhomogeneity of the compound arising upon milling.