First-order reversal curves (FORC) and the FORC distribution provide a detailed characterization of the relative proportions of reversible and irreversible components of the magnetization of a material, revealing the dominant interactions in the system. Alloys with the nominal composition SmFe₂ were obtained by melt-spinning with a cooper wheel velocity of 30 m/s. X-ray powder diffraction analysis showed a greater part consisting of an amorphous phase and a very small amount of SmFe₂ crystalline phase with an average crystallite size of 8 nm. A constant acceleration Mössbauer spectrum, measured at room temperature in transmission mode, was fitted to a continuous distribution of effective fields at the nucleus of the amorphous phase (about 84% of the total area), plus two sextets for the non-equivalent sites of Fe in the SmFe₂ crystalline phase. 91 first-order reversal curves were collected in a Quantum Design PPMS-VSM with reversal fields from ⁻800 mT to +800 mT and using a calibration field of 850 mT. The obtained FORC diagrams showed a combined effect of a local interaction field and a mean interaction field, and showed that the reversible magnetization is a function of both, the applied magnetic field and the irreversible magnetization.
Keywords: FORC distribution; intermetallic alloys; magnetic interactions; melt spinning.