First order magnetic transition in doped CeFe2 alloys: phase coexistence and metastability.
First order ferromagnetic (FM) to antiferromagnetic (AFM) phase transition in doped CeFe2 alloys is studied with the micro-Hall probe technique. Clear visual evidence of magnetic phase coexistence on micrometer scales and the evolution of this phase coexistence as a function of temperature, magnetic field, and time across the first order FM-AFM transition is presented. Such phase coexistence and metastability arise as a natural consequence of an intrinsic disorder-influenced first order transition. The generality of these phenomena involving other classes of materials is discussed.
Roy
S B
SB
Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College, London SW7 2BZ, United Kingdom.
Perkins
G K
GK
Chattopadhyay
M K
MK
Nigam
A K
AK
Sokhey
K J S
KJ
Chaddah
P
P
Caplin
A D
AD
Cohen
L F
LF