Investigation into the itinerant metamagnetism of Sr₃Ru ₂O₇ for the field parallel to the ruthenium oxygen planes

We report a detailed investigation into the metamagnetism of Sr ₃Ru₂O₇ at low temperatures for the magnetic field parallel to the ruthenium oxygen planes. The metamagnetism is studied as a function of temperature, magnetic field and sample quality using magnetisation, magnetotransport and specific heat as probes. From hysteretic behaviour in the magnetisation, we confirm earlier work and observe a finite temperature critical point at (5 T, >0:25 K). In our highest quality samples two-step metamagnetic transitions are additionally observed at 5.8 T and at 6.3 T, which coincide with a range of broad maximum in the magnetoresistance. At low temperatures, these two metamagnetic features each further split in two. Such behaviour of the multiple transitions are qualitatively different from the first order transition at 5.1 T.