Magnetization and specific heat of DyFe<Subscript>3</Subscript>(BO<Subscript>3</Subscript>)<Subscript>4</Subscript> single crystal

We present thermodynamic and magnetic studies of single crystalline DyFe<Subscript>3</Subscript>(BO<Subscript>3</Subscript>)<Subscript>4</Subs cript>. The data indicate an easy axis antiferromagnetic order below T<Subscript>N</Subscript>~ 38 K which we attribute to the Fe subsystem. The Dy subsystem remains paramagnetic down to the lowest investigated temperatures of 2 K, but it is polarized by the Fe spins due to a f-d interaction. External magnetic field leads to a spin-flop transition in the iron subsystem as well as to superposed magnetization in the Dy subsystem. The repopulation of two low-lying Kramers doublets in Dy<Superscript>3+</Superscript> ions results in well defined Schottky anomalies in specific heat and magnetization. Copyright EDP Sciences/Società Italiana di Fisica/Springer-Verlag 2008