Magnetic entropy change in Ni51.5Mn22.7Ga25.8 alloy

A considerable magnetic entropy change has been observed in Ni51.5Mn22.7Ga25.8 alloys under a field of 0.9 T. This change originates from a sharp magnetization jump which is associated with a martensitic to austenitic structure transition. The large low field entropy change and the adjustable martensic-austensic transition temperature indicate a great potential of Ni-Mn-Ga as working materials for magnetic refrigerants in a wide temperature range. (C) 2000 American Institute of Physics. [S0003-6951(00)01723-X].