Magnetic field driven magnetic domain motion on high anisotropy $UMn_2Ge_2$

The ternary intermetallic $UMn_2Ge_2$ ferromagnet has a tetragonal crystal structure of type $ThCr_2Si_2$. It has been long reported that local U and Mn moments in $UMn_2Ge_2$ order on their respective sublattices at temperatures near 100 and 380 K. A more recent report also showed this compound exhibits huge uniaxial magnetocrystalline anisotropy in a pulsed experiment with magnetic fields up to 62 T. Our previous results obtained using magnetic force microscopy (MFM) indeed confirmed that $UMn_2Ge_2$ displays uniaxial anisotropy. We observed that branching magnetic domains on surface of the sample form flower-like patterns and stay unchanged from 77 K up to room temperature in zero magnetic field. We are currently investigating field-driven motions of the surface magnetic domains of $UMn_2Ge_2$ under magnetic fields up to 8 T at various temperatures.