Magnetic properties of decagonal AlCuGeMn quasicrystals

Abstract The magnetic properties of ferromagnetic decagonal Al 40 Cu 10 Ge 25 Mn 25 quasicrystals are investigated by measuring the magnetic moment as a function of temperature and applied field. To demonstrate whether the quasicrystalline state shows an influence on the thermodynamic magnetic behavior we have analyzed the magnetic phase transition, the hysteretic behavior, and the law of approach to ferromagnetic saturation for both the decagonal quasicrystalline and the disordered crystalline state. For the quasicrystalline state no significant deviations from the behavior of the crystalline state could be detected, except for the hysteresis loop where the demagnetization curve shows the existence of a second magnetic phase.