Determine the origin of the additional field-induced anomaly in Tb₂IrAl₄Ge₂

Determine the microscopic origin of the additional field-induced magnetic feature in Tb₂IrAl₄Ge₂ that emerges near 60 kOe, exhibits nonmonotonic temperature dependence with field, and may correspond to a distinct magnetic state stabilized over a limited field range.

Background

Tb₂IrAl₄Ge₂ exhibits antiferromagnetic order below 25 K and multiple field-induced metamagnetic transitions for magnetic fields applied parallel to the crystallographic c axis. In addition to the principal metamagnetic features, the temperature-dependent magnetization reveals an anomaly near 60 kOe that shifts nonmonotonically with field and disappears above approximately 90 kOe.

The authors interpret this behavior as evidence for competing magnetic interactions and a distinct field-stabilized state, but the microscopic origin of the anomaly is not established by the bulk magnetization and transport measurements. Resolving it requires identifying the corresponding magnetic configuration and its relation to the surrounding phase boundaries.

References

Although the microscopic origin of this additional feature remains unclear, its nonmonotonic field dependence suggests the presence of competing magnetic interactions that stabilize a distinct magnetic state over a limited field range.

— Complex magnetic phase diagrams in Tb$_2$IrAl$_4$Ge$_2$ and Er$_2$IrAl$_4$Ge$_2$  (2610.01714 - Gornicka et al., 1 Oct 2026) in Results and discussion, Section 2, subsection “Magnetic characterization”

In the absence of microscopic information about the magnetic structures, the proposed phases should be viewed as experimentally defined magnetic regions whose precise nature remains to be determined.

— Complex magnetic phase diagrams in Tb$_2$IrAl$_4$Ge$_2$ and Er$_2$IrAl$_4$Ge$_2$  (2610.01714 - Gornicka et al., 1 Oct 2026) in Results and discussion, subsection “Magnetic phase diagrams”