Magnetic and magneto-transport properties of rapidly solidified Cu80−xFe20Nix alloys

Three metastable materials of compositions Cu80−xFe20Nix (x=0, 5, 20 at.%) have been obtained by rapid solidification. Magnetization and magnetoresistance measurements have been performed at different temperatures on as cast samples of all alloys and on annealed samples of the alloy with x=20. A measurable magnetoresistance is observed only for the latter material, a frustrated ferromagnet with short magnetic coherence length. This effect is related to the action of the magnetic field destroying the locally canted arrangement of magnetic spins in the ordered phase.