Elastic anomalies at the magnetic phase transitions of TbTe3

•Large anomalies in the velocity and ultrasonic attenuation at the magnetic phase transitions of TbTe3.•Critical behavior is analyzed.

We report sound velocity and ultrasonic attenuation measurements in the vicinity of the successive magnetic phase transitions Tmag1~6.5 K, Tmag2~5.8 K and Tmag3~5.3 K in the charge density wave TbTe3 compound. A detailed investigation of the critical contributions to the temperature dependences of the sound velocity and ultrasonic attenuation is presented. Anisotropic stress dependences ∂Tmag1/∂σ∂Tmag1/∂σ found at the antiferromagnetic phase transition Tmag1 is associated with the layered structure of this compound. An abrupt step-like increase in the velocity and a sharp peak in the attenuation are observed with the longitudinal and shear modes at the lock-in magnetic phase transition Tmag3=5.3 K. The critical velocity and attenuation behaviors in the high temperature paramagnetic above Tmag1 are described in terms of a phenomenological dynamic scaling expression.