Microscopic mechanism of the giant magnetocaloric effect in MnCoGe alloys probed by XMCD
arXiv:1602.08263 · doi:10.1063/1.4944643
Abstract
One important aspect of the magneto-structural transition in MnCoGe and related materials is the reduction in saturation magnetization from the orthorhombic to the hexagonal phase. Here, by combining an element specific magnetization probe such as x-ray magnetic circular dichroism and band structure calculations, we show that the magnetic moment instability between orthorhombic and hexagonal structures originates from a reduction in the Mn sub-lattice magnetization. The consequences of the moment instability for the magnetocaloric effect are discussed.
submitted for regular publication 30th december 2015