title: A first-order magnetic phase transition near 15 K with novel magnetic-field-induced effects in Er5Si3.
abstract: We present magnetic characterization of a binary rare-earth intermetallic compound Er(5)Si(3), crystallizing in Mn(5)Si(3)-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, the 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 magnetoresistance is found to exhibit intriguing magnetic-field dependence, indicating novel magnetic phase coexistence phenomenon. It thus appears that this compound is characterized by interesting magnetic anomalies in the temperature-magnetic-field phase diagram.
authors.affiliation: School of Basics Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology-Bhubaneswar, Bhubaneswar 751013, India. niharika@iitbbs.ac.in
authors.forename: Niharika
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Mohapatra
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mukherjee
authors.forename: Kartik K
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: Iyer
authors.forename: E V
authors.initials: EV
authors.lastname: Sampathkumaran
mesh_terms: D017097:Electric Impedance; D004871:Erbium / Q000737:chemistry*; D060526:Magnetic Fields; D008345:Manganese / Q000737:chemistry; D017655:Silicon Compounds / Q000737:chemistry; D013696:Temperature
chemical_list: D017655:Silicon Compounds; D008345:Manganese; D004871:Erbium