The Ising model with competing interactions is studied in a mean field effective medium approach. The phase diagram of such model alloys is studied. We conclude that for all ratios of the competing interaction moments, a spin glass phase always exists at low temperatures for certain concentration regimes.

The Heisenberg model with competing interactions is studied within a mean field, effective medium approach. The phase diagram indicates the existence of a mixed or randomly canted phase just beyond the spin glass regime. Experimental evidence of such a phase in alloys like FeCr is studied.

We present measurements of harmonic generation in the magnetization of sintered pellets of YBa₂Cu₃O₇ and Bi_1.7Pb_0.3Sr₂Ca₂Cu₃O₁₀ as a function of DC field. The DC field is applied in the field-cooled mode. Measurements are made at 77 K for various values of the AC field amplitude. A comparison is made with calculations done within the critical state model.

Results are presented for study of nonlinear magnetization of a sintered YBa₂Cu₃O_7−y pellet of different thickness of a sample subjected to very low magnetic field. On cooling the sample belowT_c in zero field a change, in the oscillatory structure of harmonics in increasing dc field is observed in very low ac magnetic field. The effect of finiteness of the sample on the oscillatory structure and on the hysteresis of harmonics is also studied. The results are explained qualitatively.

Superconductivity in CeRu₂ was discovered 40 years ago, and was extensively studied because alloying with magnetic elements showed the coexistence of superconductivity and magnetic order. The normal state of CeRu₂ has been of interest because of its intermediate valuence character. The superconducting state has been studied extensively because of its paramagnetic nature and anomalous pinning properties. This review presents the present status of knowledge, and discusses the puzzling features of CeRu₂.

Hysteresis in cycling through first-order phase transitions in vortex matter, akin to the well-studied phenomenon of supercooling of water, has been discussed in literature. Hysteresis can be seen while varying either temperature T or magnetic field H (and thus the density of vortices). Our recent work on phase transitions with two control variables shows that the observable region of metastability of the supercooled phase would depend on the path followed in H-T space, and will be larger when T is lowered at constant H compared to the case when H is lowered at constant T. We discuss the effect of isothermal field variations on metastable supercooled states produced by field-cooling. This path dependence is not a priori applicable to metastability caused by reduced diffusivity or hindered kinetics.