Flux growth and spin reorientation in trigonal Nd1−xDyxFe3(BO3)4 single crystals

Data on the stability area of trigonal Nd1−xDyxFe3(BO3)4 phase and the dynamics of labile phases in fluxes based on bismuth trimolibdate are presented. The procedure for crystal nucleation in a thin layer of flux cooled on a platinum rod is reported. Conditions for the growth of Nd1−xDyxFe3(BO3)4 single crystals on seeds are described.Temperature and field dependences of magnetization and specific heat for single crystals with х=0.1 and 0.25 were measured. It is shown that these single crystals, unlike easy-plane NdFe3(BO3)4 and easy-axis DyFe3(BO3)4 antiferromagnets, undergo spontaneous spin-flop phase transitions. Both spontaneous and magnetic field-induced spin reorientations were found to occur in one or several jumps depending on the Nd:Dy ratio in the crystals.