Field-induced magnetostructural transition in Gd5Ge4 studied by pulsed magnetic fields

The field-induced magnetostructural transformation in Gd5Ge4 was examined by magnetization measurements in pulsed magnetic fields. The low-temperature irreversibility of the transition can be destroyed by the magnetocaloric effect, and depending on the heat exchange between the sample and its surroundings, the irreversibility (or kinetic arrest) can also be retained. Measurements by using various magnetic-field sweep rates were conducted to examine the dynamic response of the system in the transition region. The critical fields for the magnetostructural transition below 20 K are field sweep rate dependent-the larger the field sweep rate, the higher the critical field. However, this rate dependence is readily suppressed with increasing temperature.