Magnetic properties of the carbides Y2ReC2, Tb2ReC2, Er2ReC2 and Lu2ReC2

Magnetic susceptibility measurements with a SQUID magnetometer reveal that the rhenium atoms in Y2ReC2 and Lu2ReC2 do not carry magnetic moments. The moments of the lanthanoid atoms in Tb2ReC2 and Er2ReC2 order antiferromagnetically below TN=96(2) and 18(1) K, respectively. Both compounds show metamagnetic transitions, and above the Neel temperatures strong field-dependent paramagnetism was observed suggesting strong paramagnetic anisotropies. The antiferromagnetic structures of both compounds are different, however, with the same propagation vector k=0. They were determined from neutron powder data recorded in zero field at 1.5 K. The magnetic structures can be described with the basis functions [0, Ay, 0] and [Gx, Ay, Az] for the terbium and erbium moments, respectively, using Bertaut's representation analysis. (orig.)