R. Tarasenko

Study of a magnetic-cooling material Gd(OH)CO3

The magnetocaloric effect of a coordination polymeric material with a repeating unit of Gd(OH)CO3 has been studied experimentally using isothermal magnetization and heat capacity measurements. The maximum entropy change, −ΔSm, reaches 66.4 J kg−1 K−1 or 355 mJ cm−3 K−1 for ΔH = 7 T and T = 1.8 K. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations show weak and competing antiferromagnetic interactions between the metal centres.

Quantum ferromagnet in the proximity of the tricritical point

Echoes of quantum phase transitions at finite temperatures are theoretically and experimentally challenging and unexplored topics. Particularly in metallic quantum ferromagnets the experimental investigations are hampered by an intricate preparation of sufficiently pure samples and the access to the proper coordinates in parameter space. The present study shows that it is possible to tune a specific system at easily accessible conditions to the vicinity of its quantum phase transition. The physics is demonstrated on Ru-doped UCoAl, driven by pressure or substitution to and across the tricritical point and follows the first-order transition line to the theoretically presumed quantum phase transition. These findings open the possibilities for further in-depth studies of classical and quantum critical phenomena at easily reachable conditions.Quantum phase transitions: Tuned in metallic ferromagnetsClean ferromagnetic systems are predicted to exhibit quantum phase transitions (QPTs) rather than critical points. QPTs happen at zero temperature due to quantum fluctuations between the phases, and can be triggered by non-thermal perturbations such as hydrostatic pressure, chemical composition or magnetic fields. Jan Prokleška at Czesh Charles University and colleagues from Czech Republic and Germany demonstrate that it is possible to tune the QPT of the metallic ferromagnet UCo1-xRuxAl by pressure or weak Ru doping. The experimental study of QPTs in metallic ferromagnets is typically hindered by the extreme conditions required to drive the system into the transition, or by the presence of additional phases such as superconductivity. Instead, UCo1-xRuxAl allows to get access to the QPT at easily accessible experimental conditions, opening the possibility of studying in detail quantum critical phenomena.