Low-Temperature Specific Heat and Magnetocaloric Effect in RCu2Ge2 (R = Dy-Tm) Compounds |
| Ł. Gondeka, D. Kaczorowskib, A.P. Pikulb and A. Szytułac
aFaculty of Physics and Applied Computer Science, AGH University of Science and Technology, al. A. Mickiewicza 30, 30-059 Kraków, Poland bW. Trzebiatowski Institute of Low Temperature and Structure Research, Polish Academy of Sciences, P.O. Box 1410, 50-950 Wrocław, Poland cM. Smoluchowski Institute of Physics, Jagiellonian University, W.S. Reymonta 4, 30-059 Kraków, Poland |
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| The magnetocaloric effect in RCu2Ge2 (R = Dy-Tm) was investigated by means of specific heat measurements. The compounds order antiferromagnetically at 6.2 K (DyCu2Ge2), 5.6 K (HoCu2Ge2), 3.0 K (ErCu2Ge2), and 3.9 K (TmCu2Ge2), and some of them exhibit additional magnetic transitions in the ordered state. In an external magnetic field the low-temperature specific heat changes significantly, which can be attributed to metamagnetic-like transitions. In this temperature region, the investigated samples show distinctly different magnetocaloric effect. |
| DOI: 10.12693/APhysPolA.122.391 PACS numbers: 75.30.-m, 75.30.Sg, 75.40.Cx |