Formation of Condon domains as a phase transition

It is shown, for the first time, that approaching the Condon domain phase in temperature from above is accompanied by critical temperature growth of the susceptibility thereby indicating formation of Condon domains, which occurs as a phase transition. The study is based on a recent measurement of the temperature dependence of the susceptibility in silver in magnetic field of 25 T under conditions of the nonlinear de Haas-van Alphen effect. Experimental results for the positive and negative slopes of the magnetization in one de Haas-van Alphen period are in good agreement with results of the calculations presented here. The Curie-Weiss law for the susceptibility is derived for a needle-type specimen. The Curie constant is calculated.