Publikationsrepositorium - Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf

We report on magnetization, magnetostriction, and magnetocaloric-effect measurements of polycrystalline LaFe_11.74Co_0.13Si_1.13 and LaFe_11.21Co_0.65Si_1.11 performed in both pulsed and static magnetic fields. Although the two compounds behave rather differently at low fields (∼5 T), they show quite similar values of the magnetocaloric effect, namely a temperature increases of about 20 K at high fields (50–60 T). The magnetostriction and magnetization also reach very similar values here. We are able to quantify the magnetoelastic coupling and, based on that, apply the Bean-Rodbell criterion distinguishing first- and second-order transitions.