Magnetic-field-induced structural transformation in Er5Si4

作     者：C. Magen C. Ritter L. Morellon P. A. Algarabel M. R. Ibarra A. O. Tsokol K. A. Gschneidner, Jr. V. K. Pecharsky 

作者机构：Materials and Engineering Physics Program Ames Laboratory Iowa State University Ames Iowa 50011-3020 USA and Department of Materials Science and Engineering Iowa State University Ames Iowa 50011-2300 USA 

出 版 物：《Physical Review B》 (Phys. Rev. B Condens. Matter Mater. Phys.)

年 卷 期：2006年第74卷第17期

页      面：174413-174413页

核心收录：

学科分类：0808[工学-电气工程] 0809[工学-电子科学与技术（可授工学、理学学位）] 07[理学] 0805[工学-材料科学与工程（可授工学、理学学位）] 0702[理学-物理学] 

摘      要：Magnetization and magnetostriction measurements in pulsed magnetic fields reaching 600kOe reveal strong magnetoelastic effects in Er5Si4 at low temperature. A clear hysteretic behavior of the magnetization isotherms and sharp first-order-type anomalies of magnetostriction are observed. Neutron powder diffraction experiments carried out in steady magnetic fields ranging from 0to50kOe confirm that both the magnetization and magnetostriction anomalies are associated with a reversible magnetic-field-induced crystallographic transformation at low temperature. The low-temperature crystal structure of Er5Si4 is monoclinic in a zero field but the application of a strong magnetic field (H80kOe at T=5K) induces an orthorhombic phase, which is known as the ground state of numerous other compounds in the extended 5:4 family of materials. The existence of a magnetic-field-induced crystallographic transformation without the change of the magnetic state of the material is an unusual property of magnetic solids, and to our knowledge this is the first time that such an anomaly is observed in the 5:4 intermetallic materials.