Anisotropy of the magnetoresistance in ferromagnetic shape memory alloy Ni52Mn16.4Fe8Ga23.6 single crystal

We have studied the magnetotransport properties of the quaternary Heusler alloy Ni52Mn16.4Fe8Ga23.6 single crystal. The magnetoresistance (MR) {=[R(H)−R(0)]/R(0)} behavior shows a clear anisotropy at martensite state and the origin is mainly attributed to the different preferred orientations of martensite variants in three different crystallographic directions. At austenite state, the MR ratio increases linearly with increasing magnetic field and no anisotropy has been observed.