Abstract
Magnetic shape memory alloys have great promise as magneto-caloric effect refrigerant materials due to their combined magnetic and structural transitions. Computational and experimental research is reported on the Ni2MnGa material system. The magnetic states of this system have been explored using the Wang-Landau statistical approach in conjunction with the Locally Self-consistent Multiple-Scattering (LSMS) method to explore the magnetic states responsible for the magnet-caloric effect in this material. The effects of alloying agents on the transition temperatures of the Ni2MnGa alloy were investigated using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID). Neutron scattering experiments were performed to observe the structural and magnetic phase transformations at the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) on alloys of Ni-Mn-Ga and Ni-Mn-Ga-Cu-Fe. Data from the observations are discussed in comparison with the computational studies.
