Itinerant electron metamagnetism and magnetocaloric effect in Dy(Co,Si)2

Itinerant electron metamagnetism in Dy(Co1-xSix)2 compounds was studied in the light of a recent theoretical model based on magnetovolume effect and spin fluctuations. The nature of the magnetic transition in these compounds was analyzed within the framework of this model. The magnetocaloric effect in these compounds has been calculated and correlated with the strength of itinerant electron metamagnetism. The domain wall pinning effect was found to be dominant at low temperatures.