New type of magnetocaloric effect: Implications on low-temperature magnetic refrigeration using an Ericsson cycle

Abstract
The low‐temperature, high magnetic field heat capacity (1.5 to 70 K and 0 to 9.85 T), dc and ac magnetic behaviors of the compound (Gd0.54Er0.46)AlNi show that field‐induced magnetic entropy change is significant and almost constant over the temperature region of ∼15 to ∼45 K. The resulting temperature dependence of the magnetocaloric effect, nearly constant over a 30+ K temperature range, is unprecedented (most magnetic materials have a caretlike shape temperature dependence). These data show that (Gd0.54Er0.46)AlNi can be used as an effective active magnetic regenerator material for an Ericsson‐cycle magnetic refrigerator, and could substitute for complex composite layered materials suggested earlier.