Heat capacity and point-contact spectra of the melt-spun cubic RECu5 compounds (RE - heavy rare earths)

Heat capacity measurements of the cubic intermetallic RECu5 (RE - heavy rare earths) compounds have been performed in the applied magnetic field up to 9 T and in the temperature range from 0.4 to300 K. The pollycrystalline samples have been prepared in ribbon shape by melt-spinning and subsequent annealing for stabilisation of the cubic phase. We have first observed the phase transitions into the magnetic ordered states in TmCu5 (1.3 K), HoCu5 (3 K) and ErCu5 (1.6 K).