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arXiv · 1111.6240

A first-order magnetic phase transition near 15 K with novel magnetic-field-induced effects in Er5Si3

Niharika Mohapatra·K. Mukherjee·Kartik K. Iyer·E. V. Sampathkumaran
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Abstract

We present magnetic characterization of a binary rare-earth intermetallic compound Er5Si3, crystallizing in Mn5Si3-type hexagonal structure, through magnetization, heat-capacity, electrical resistivity, and magnetoresistance measurements. Our investigations confirm that the compound exhibits two magnetic transitions with decreasing temperature, first one at 35 K and the second one at 15 K. The present results reveal that the second magnetic transition is a disorder-broadened first-order transition, as shown by thermal hysteresis in the measured data. Another important finding is that, below 15 K, there is a magnetic-field-induced transition with a hysteretic effect with the electrical resistance getting unusually enhanced at this transition and the magnetorsistance (MR) is found to exhibit intriguing magnetic-field dependence indicating novel magnetic phase-co-existence phenomenon. It thus appears that this compound is characterized by interesting magnetic anomalies in the temperature-magnetic-field phase diagram.

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Niharika Mohapatra, K. Mukherjee, Kartik K. Iyer, E. V. Sampathkumaran. 2011-11-27. A first-order magnetic phase transition near 15 K with novel magnetic-field-induced effects in Er5Si3. https://arxiv.org/abs/1111.6240

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