Random magnetic anisotropy in a new compound Sm2AgSi3

We report the experimental study on the structural and magnetic properties of a new ternary intermetallic compound Sm2AgSi3. The properties of the sample were investigated in detail by X-ray diffraction, dc-magne-tization, and heat capacity measurements. The polycrystalline compound of Sm2AgSi3 crystallizes in the ThSi2- type tetragonal structure (space group I41 /amd). The temperature dependent dc-magnetization and heat capacity results demonstrate that the compound undergoes ferromagnetic behaviour with a Curie temperature (TC) of 14 K. The large coercive field in hysteresis loops and the thermomagnetic irreversibility in the ferromagnetic region revealed that the compound exhibits a large magnetic anisotropy. The magnitude of the applied field and the coercivity obtained from the M-H loops corroborate with the thermomagnetic irreversibility in the magnetization data. The magnetic contribution of the heat capacity reveals a broad Schottky-type anomaly above TC, due to the presence of the crystal electric field effect of Sm3+ in Sm2AgSi3.