ABSTRACT
High static magnetic field magnetization measurements have been performed up to 23 T on Ho(0.43)Y(2.57)Fe(5)O(12) single crystals at helium temperature (T = 4.2 K) with fields applied along the three main cubic axes: [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]. The change from the spontaneous ferrimagnetic structure in zero magnetic field to the fully ferromagnetic one in high field takes place through several intermediate phases separated by transitions with step-like magnetization behaviour, but without any observed hysteresis. Using the effective spin Hamiltonian approximation, we show that the general features of these transitions can be accounted for by a large magnetocristalline anisotropy of the Ho(3+) moments of the uniaxial type along the local z axis of each rare-earth site. The model is in better agreement with the experiments than its Ising limit, widely used before, but is still unsuccessful in predicting the 'umbrella' magnetic structures found by previous neutron and NMR experiments.
