Magnetocrystalline anisotropy of equiatomic rare earth-zinc compounds: DyZn and ErZn

The magnetization of single crystals of the ferromagnetic compounds DyZn and ErZn is studied in magnetic fields up to 55 kOe. The easy axis in both cases is 〈100〉 between 4.2 K and the ordering temperatures (139 and 20 K, respectively). The magnetic anisotropy is too large in DyZn to be evaluated below 100 K; the anisotropy constants of ErZn have been evaluated between 4 and 14 K.