Spontaneous and field-induced magnetic transitions in YBaCo2O5.5

A detailed study of magnetic properties of cobaltite YBaCo2O5.5 has been performed in high (up to 35T) magnetic fields and under hydrostatic pressure up to 0.8GPa. The temperatures of paramagnet–ferromagnet (PM–FM) and ferromagnet–antiferromagnet (FM–AF) phase transitions and their pressure derivatives have been determined. It has been revealed that in the compound with yttrium, in contrast to those with magnetic rare earth atoms, the AF–FM field-induced magnetic phase transition is accompanied by a considerable field hysteresis below 240K, and the magnetic field of 35T is not sufficient to complete this transition at low temperatures. The hysteresis value depends on the magnetic field sweep rate, which considered as an evidence of magnetic viscosity that is especially strong in the region of coexistence of the FM and AF phases. High values of susceptibility for the field-induced FM phase show that Co spin state in these compounds changes in strong magnetic field.