Resistivity and Thermopower of Ni2.19Mn0.81Ga

In this paper, we report results of the first studies on the thermoelectric power (TEP) of the magnetic heusler alloy Ni$_{2.19}$Mn$_{0.81}$Ga. We explain the observed temperature dependence of the TEP in terms of the crystal field (CF) splitting and compare the observed behavior to that of the stoichiometric system Ni$_2$MnGa. The resistivity as a function of temperature of the two systems serves to define the structural transition temperature, T$_M$, which is the transition from the high temperature austenitic phase to low temperatures the martensitic phase. Occurrence of magnetic (Curie-Weiss) and the martensitic transition at almost the same temperature in Ni$_{2.19}$Mn$_{0.81}$Ga has been explained from TEP to be due to changes in the density of states (DOS) at the Fermi level.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figures, Accepted in Physical Review B vol 70, Issue 1

Correlation between Local Structure Distortions and Martensitic Transformation in Ni-Mn-In alloys

The local structural distortions arising as a consequence of increasing Mn content in Ni_2Mn_1+xIn_1-x (x=0, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5 and 0.6) and its effect on martensitic transformation have been studied using Extended X-ray Absorption Fine Structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy. Using the room temperature EXAFS at the Ni and Mn K-edges in the above compositions, the changes associated with respect to the local structure of these absorbing atoms are compared. It is seen that in the alloys exhibiting martensitic transformation ($x \ge 0.4$) there is a significant difference between the Ni-In and Ni-Mn bond lengths even in the austenitic phase indicating atomic volume to be the main factor in inducing martensitic transformation in Ni-Mn-In Heusler alloys.Comment: 8 pages, 2 figure