Scaling of the entropy change at the magnetoelastic transition in Gd5(SixGe1-x)4 -: art. no. 212402

Differential scanning calorimetry under a magnetic field H has been used to measure the entropy change DeltaS at the magnetoelastic transition in Gd-5(SixGe1-x)(4) alloys, for xless than or equal to0.5. We show that DeltaS scales with the transition temperature, T-t, which is tuned by x and H, from 70 to 310 K. Such a scaling demonstrates that T-t is the relevant parameter in determining the giant magnetocaloric effect in these alloys, and proves that the magnetovolume effects due to H are of the same nature as the volume effects caused by substitution.