Magneto-Optical Properties and Photoluminescence of (PrDy)(FeCo)B Microwires

Microwires (PrDy)(FeCo)B, containing no iron inclusions and nuclei, are obtained by extraction from a drop of (PrDy)(FeCo)B melt at a reduced cooling rate. Inclusions of the crystalline phases (PrDy) 2 (CoFe) 14 B, the magnetic Laves phase Dy(FeCo) 2 , and inclusions of the Pr 2 O 3 and Dy 2 O 3 phases luminescent under the action of ultraviolet radiation were identified in the volume of the microwires. The distributions of the transverse and longitudinal components of the magnetization along the microwire were obtained for different directions of the external magnetic field using a magneto-optical indicator film and the magneto-optical Kerr effect. In microwires with a width of less than 70 μm, the longitudinal external field causes a modulation of the transverse magnetization corresponding to the formation of cylindrical domains. The co-existence of longitudinal and radial magnetizations was detected by changing the incidence angle and the wavelength of the Kerr microscope. No surface radial domains were found in the wider microwires with a width of ~150 μm. Photoluminescence of inclusions of Pr 2 O 3 and Dy 2 O 3 oxides, which were present both on the surface and in the bulk of the microwire, was detected upon exposure to ultraviolet radiation.