Microwave Probing of Magnetic Phases in a Dipolar-exchange Magnet LiGdF4

We report the results of low-temperature magnetic resonance measurements performed on a single-crystal sample of a weakly anisotropic dipolar-exchange antiferromagnet LiGdF 4 . The transformation of a resonance spectrum due to the formation of the ordered phase is observed at temperatures below T N = 0.19 (1) K. A sequence of field-induced phase transitions is detected for the external magnetic field applied along the fourfold axis of the crystal. A well-resolved magnetic resonance spectrum is observed in one of the low-field magnetic phases as well as above the saturation field. Competing exchange and dipolar interactions, as a special type of magnetic frustration, are suggested to account for the delayed ordering and complex magnetic phase diagram of the system.