Magnetic properties of the Bi _0.65 La _0.35 Fe _0.5 Sc _0.5 O ₃ perovskite

Magnetic properties of polycrystalline multiferroic Bi _0.65 La _0.35 Fe _0.5 Sc _0.5 O ₃ synthesized under high-pressure (6 GPa) and high-temperature (1500 K) conditions were studied using a SQUID magnetometer technique. The temperature dependent static magnetic moment M was measured in both zero-field-cooled and field-cooled modes over the temperature range of 5-300 K in low magnetic field H = 0.02 kOe. The field dependent magnetization M(H) was measured in magnetic fields up to 50 kOe at different temperatures up to 230 K after zero-field cooling procedure. A long-range magnetic ordering of the antiferromagnetic type with a weak ferromagnetic contribution takes place below T _N ≈ 220 K. Magnetic hysteresis loops taken below T _N show a huge coercive field up to H _c ≈ 10 kOe, while the magnetic moment does not saturate up to 50 kOe. A strong effect of magnetic field on the magnetic properties of the compound has been found. Below T _N ≈ 220 K the derivatives of the initial magnetization curves demonstrate the existence of a temperature-dependent anomaly in fields of H = 15÷25 kOe. The nature of the anomaly is unknown and requires additional study.