Magnetic phase transitions in TbNi5 single crystal: Bulk properties and neutron diffraction studies

Abstract

Magnetic susceptibility, heat capacity, and neutron diffraction measurements have been carried out in order to study the unusual magnetic ordering of TbNi5 using a single crystal over the temperature region of 2–30 K. Two spontaneous magnetic transitions have been observed: one is a second-order transition from a paramagnetic state to an incommensurate structure (T p = 24 K), and the other, a first-order transition from the incommensurate structure to a lock-in phase (T f c = 10 K). We also found an irreversible magnetic field-induced transition from the modulated structure to the ferromagnetic collinear one.