  The noncentrosymmetric ferromagnet Cr11Ge19 has been investigated by
electrical transport, AC and DC magnetization, heat capacity, x-ray
diffraction, resonant ultrasound spectroscopy, and first principles electronic
structure calculations. Complex itinerant ferromagnetism in this material is
indicated by nonlinearity in conventional Arrott plots, unusual behavior of AC
susceptibility, and a weak heat capacity anomaly near the Curie temperature (88
K). The inclusion of spin wave excitations was found to be important in
modeling the low temperature heat capacity. The temperature dependence of the
elastic moduli and lattice constants, including negative thermal expansion
along the c axis at low temperatures, indicate strong magneto-elastic coupling
in this system. Calculations show strong evidence for itinerant ferromagnetism
and suggest a noncollinear ground state may be expected.
