Observation of spin-glass-like characteristics in ferrimagnetic TbCo through energy-level-selective approach

Abstract Rare earth (RE)–transition metal (TM) ferrimagnetic alloys are gaining increasing attention because of their potential use in the field of antiferromagnetic spintronics. The moment from RE sub-lattice primarily originates from the 4 f -electrons located far below the Fermi level ( E F ), and the moment from TM sub-lattice arises from the 3 d -electrons across the E F . Therefore, the individual magnetic moment configurations at different energy levels must be explored to clarify the microscopic mechanism of antiferromagnetic spin dynamics. Considering these issues, here we investigate the energy-level-selective magnetic moment configuration in ferrimagnetic TbCo alloy. We reveal that magnetic moments at deeper energy levels are more easily altered by the external magnetic field than those near the E F . More importantly, we find that the magnetic moments at deeper energy levels exhibit a spin-glass-like characteristics such as slow dynamics and magnetic moment freezing whereas those at E F do not. These unique energy-level-dependent characteristics of RE-TM ferrimagnet may provide a better understanding of ferrimagnet, which could be useful in spintronic applications as well as in spin-glass studies.