Field induced metamagnetism and large magnetic entropy change in RRhSi (R = Tb, Dy, Ho) rare earth intermetallics

Highlights: • Large magnetocaloric effect in DyRhSi and HoRhSi intermetallics is uncovered. • The observed value is higher than reported in other compounds of RTX family. • It is attributed to metamagnetic transition. • Magnetic ordering is confirmed in RRhSi based on DFT+U calculations. • Optical measurements show that rare-earth ions states mostly contribute to interband optical conductivity. -- Abstract: We report magnetic, magneto-caloric, electronic structure, and optical properties of rare earth intermetallics RRhSi (R=Tb, Dy, Ho). These compounds show antiferromagnetic ordering at low temperatures. The magnetization data reveal field-induced metamagnetic transition in DyRhSi and HoRhSi compounds, which results in large magnetocaloric effect (MCE) in these compounds. In the case of Dy, the MCE is found to be larger than those of other analogs of the RTX family. Theoretical calculations confirm antiferromagnetic ordering in these compounds and show a negligible contribution of magnetic moment from Rh atom. The optical measurements carried out for these materials support the theoretical calculations. We uncover large magnetocaloric effect in DyRhSi and HoRhSi intermetallics attributed to metamagnetic transition and identify electronic states involved in the formation of magnetic and spectral properties based on DFT+U and optical studies.