Anomalous thermal expansion in Gd-based intermetallics

A study of the thermal expansion of Gd-based intermetallic compounds is presented. The goal was to investigate the thermal expansion in magnetic rare-earth systems without the influence of the crystal field. In order to separate the magnetoelastic effect from that of the crystal field, Gd compounds have been selected. The anisotropic thermal expansion of selected Gd-based compounds with various crystal structures has been studied by means of X-ray diffraction. In compounds with lower symmetry, e.g. GdCu₂ (CeCu₂-type structure) and GdNi (CrB-type structure), a huge anomalous thermal expansion has been found below their magnetic transition temperatures.