Nearly constant magnetic entropy change involving two closely spaced transitions in the compound LaFe11.375Al1.625

A large change in the magnetic entropy, \DeltaS\, was observed in the Fe-based NaZn13-type compound LaFe11.375Al1.625, which was nearly temperature independent over a wide temperature range (an about 70 K span from similar to140 to 2 10 K). This behaviour of the magnetic entropy change is associated with two closely spaced magnetic transitions. X-ray diffraction investigation at different temperatures indicates that the crystal structure remains cubic, of NaZn13 type, when the magnetic state changes with temperature, but the cell parameter changes dramatically at the first-order transition point.