Development of physical property measurement systems and characterisation of the Heusler alloys Fe2MnSi and Fe2VSi

Within this thesis details of physical property measurement systems, with regard to their design, construction, modification, and operation are presented and discussed. Experimental activities include sample preparation, X-ray diffraction, low temperature calorimetry, low temperature electrical resistivity, low temperature magnetometer, the construction of a high pressure cell for the magnetometer as well as neutron diffraction measurements. The various experimental techniques are presented and discussed in detail. The system of interest in this study are Heusler alloys with the composition Fe2YSi with Y=Mn and V.Fe2VSi has been proposed as a half metallic antiferromagnet in the literature, while Fe2MnSi orders ferromagnetically with an additional low temperature magnetic phase transition. Both systems have been investigated and their properties identified.