Magnetism in gallium-doped CeFe(2): Martensitic scenario

Ce(Fe(1-x)Ga(x))(2) compounds with x=0, 0.01, 0.025, and 0.05 have been investigated to unravel the effect of Ga on the magnetic state of CeFe(2). We find that the dynamic antiferromagnetic phase present in CeFe(2) gets stabilized with Ga substitution. The hysteresis loops show that while the compounds with x=0 and 0.01 show normal ferromagnetic behavior, the other two show sharp multiple magnetization steps across the antiferromagnetic-ferromagnetic transition region. Temperature and time dependences of magnetization show that the compounds with x >= 0.025 possess glassy behavior at low temperatures. The experimental findings clearly establish the fact that among the intermetallics, the Ga-doped CeFe(2) shows the closest resemblance with the martensitic scenario seen in the phase-separated magnetic oxides