New Method for Investigating Magnetic Tricritical Points

A new method, based on the observation of hysteresis effects at the first-order phase transition, has been used to study the behavior of dysprosium aluminum garnet near one of its tricritical points. The magnetization-temperature phase diagram and the exponents ${\beta }_u$, ${\delta }_{+}$, ${\delta }_{-}$, and ${\gamma }_u$ have been determined and found to be in good agreement with the present theory.