Unusual coercivity and zero-field stabilization of fully saturated magnetization in single crystals of LaCrGe3

LaCrGe3 is an itinerant, metallic ferromagnet with a Curie temperature (TC) of -86 K. Whereas LaCrGe3 has been studied extensively as a function of pressure as an example of avoided ferromagnetic quantum criticality, questions about its ambient pressure-ordered state remain: specifically, whether there is a change in the nature of the ferromagnetically ordered state below TC -86 K. We present anisotropic M(H) isotherms, coupled with anisotropic AC susceptibility data, and demonstrate that LaCrGe3 has a remarkable, low temperature coercivity associated with exceptionally sharp, complete magnetization reversals to and from fully polarized states. This coercivity is temperature dependent; it drops to zero in the 40-55 K region and reappears in the 70-85 K regions. At low temperatures LaCrGe3 has magnetization loops and behavior that has been previously associated with micromagnetic/nanocrystalline materials, not bulk macroscopic samples.

Automated summary

LaCrGe3 is an itinerant, metallic ferromagnet with a remarkable low temperature coercivity associated with micromagnetic/nanocrystalline behavior.