Complex magnetic behaviour and evidence of superspin glass state in a binary intermetallic compound Er5Pd2

TL;DR

This study reveals that Er5Pd2 exhibits a superspin glass state below 17.2 K, characterized by glassy magnetic freezing, absence of long-range order, and significant magnetocaloric effects, despite lacking geometrical frustration.

Contribution

The paper provides the first evidence of superspin glass behavior in Er5Pd2, combining magnetic, heat capacity, and magnetocaloric measurements to characterize its unique low-temperature magnetic phase.

Findings

Glass-like freezing below 17.2 K

Presence of strongly interacting superspins

Large magnetocaloric effect observed

Abstract

A binary intermetallic compound Er5Pd2 has been investigated using dc and ac magnetic susceptibilities, magnetic memory effect, isothermal magnetization, non-linear dc susceptibility, heat capacity and magnetocaloric effect studies. Interestingly, even though the compound does not show geometrical frustration it undergoes glassy magnetic phase transition below 17.2 K. Investigation of dc magnetisation and heat capacity data divulged absence of long-ranged magnetic ordering. Through magnetic memory effect, time dependent magnetization and ac susceptibility studies it was revealed that the compound undergoes glass-like freezing below 17.2 K. Analysis of frequency dependence of this transition temperature through scaling and Arrhenius law; along with Mydosh parameter indicate, that the dynamics in Er5Pd2 is due to the presence of strongly interacting superspins rather than individual spins. This phase transition was further investigated by non-linear dc susceptibility and was characterized by static critical exponents {\gamma} and {\delta}. Our results indicate that this compound show signature of superspin glass at low temperature. Additionally, both conventional and inverse magnetocaloric effect was observed with large value of magnetic entropy change and relative cooling power. Our results suggest that Er5Pd2 can be classified as a superspin glass system with large magnetocaloric effect.