Itinerant electron metamagnetic transition in La(FexSi1-x)13 intermetallic compounds

A first-order transition above the Curie temperature for ferromagnetic La( FexSi1-x)(13) (x=0.86 and 0.88) compounds has been confirmed by applying a magnetic field. The magnetic state changes from the paramagnetic to the ferromagnetic state and the transition field increases with temperature, indicating an itinerant electron metamagnetic (IEM) transition. The IEM transition is broad in x =0.86 and becomes clearer in x=0.88, which takes a negative slope of the Arrott plot. The volume change just above the Curie temperature for x=0.88 is huge, about 1.5%, which is caused by a large magnetic moment induced by the IEM transition. (C) 1999 American Institute of Physics. [S0021-8979(99)75408-3].