Novel magnetic behavior of antiferromagnetic GdTe3 induced by magnetic field

The effects of magnetic-field strength and direction on the temperature dependence of magnetic susceptibility chi(T) and specific heat C(T) in GdTe3 having an orthorhombic crystal structure were investigated. Two antiferromagnetic transitions at TN1 = 11.5 K and TN2 = 9.7 K and an anomaly at T1 = 7 K were confirmed in chi (T) under the magnetic field of mu 0H = 1 T. The anomaly at 7 K in chi(T) shows complicated changes in stronger magnetic fields. Such anomaly and novel magnetic effects are observed also in C(T), and phase diagram has been presented. The anomalies around 7 K found in chi (T) and C(T) might originate from the incommensurate CDW state in the ab-plane of GdTe3 compound.