Magnetic and magnetocaloric properties of Nd monopnictides

The behavior of Nd monopnictides in the paramagnetic regime is studied with a Hamiltonian that includes crystalline field interactions, molecular and quadrupolar fields. Experimental results have been obtained from polycrystalline samples, and from analysis of low field curves we deduced molecular and quadrupolar field parameters. From the magnetization data, the NdP and NdAs magnetocaloric potentials -ΔSmag are well reproduced, and their experimental isofields are in agreement with the one calculated from the model and the proposed parameters