Sm2Al: Another ferromagnet with spin-orbital compensation?

Abstract

We report the observation of a compensation point in the temperature dependence of magnetization data of polycrystalline Sm2Al. Magnetization measurements show that this compound magnetically orders at about 150 K. Below this temperature, the magnetization data shows a compensation point, which shifts with field. Hysteresis loops obtained below the compensation temperature show that the compound possesses exchange anisotropy. Both the exchange anisotropy field and the coercive field are found to be quite large and comparable to those of the classical spin-orbit compensated ferromagnet (Sm,Gd)Al2. The heat capacity data also suggest that there are similarities between (Sm,Gd)Al2 and Sm2Al.