Magnetic-field-induced martensitic transformation of off-stoichiometric single-crystal Ni2MnGa

The effect of a magnetic field on the martensitic transformation of an off-stoichiometric Heusler type Ni2.16Mn0.78Ga1.06 single crystal has been revealed by neutron diffraction. The alloy undergoes a martensitic transformation at room temperature, which is nearly coincident with its Curie temperature. Splitting of the cubic (020) peak on the reciprocal lattice cubic c*-plane was traced at 293 K by a triple-axis neutron spectrometer under an increasing magnetic field of up to 10 T. It was found that the magnetic field causes the martensitic transformation from the cubic structure to the orthorhombic structure, which is the same as that caused by decreasing the temperature without a magnetic field. The increase in the magnetic field to 10 T appears to correspond to a decrease in temperature of nearly 12 K, i.e., from 293 to 281 K. The present experiment suggests the possibility of realizing a magnetic-field-induced shape memory alloy. (author)