Easy plane anisotropy in Bi2CuO4.

dc Magnetic susceptibility measurements and the torque magnetometry were used to experimentally probe the symmetry of the antiferromagnetically (AFM) ordered state of Bi(2)CuO(4). A phenomenological approach to the anisotropy energy is used to model the angular dependence of torque for easy axis and easy plane anisotropy. Comparison of these results with the experimentally obtained curves leads to the conclusion that the antiferromagnetically ordered state in Bi(2)CuO(4) has an easy plane anisotropy with the c plane as an easy plane. The estimated value of the critical field for the spin-flop in the easy plane is H(c)≈15-20 kOe giving the easy plane anisotropy energy constant K(22)≈27-47×10(3) erg mol(-1). The resulting antiferromagnetic structure contains two equally populated mutually perpendicular AFM domains in zero magnetic field.