  We present a detailed magnetothermal study of Pr(0.7)Ca(0.3)MnO(3), a
perovskite manganite in which an insulator-metal transition can be driven by
magnetic field, but also by pressure, visible light, x-rays, or high currents.
We find that the field-induced transition is associated with an enormous
release of energy which accounts for its strong irreversibility. In the
ferromagnetic metallic state, specific heat and magnetization measurements
indicate a much smaller spin wave stiffness than that seen in any other
manganite, which we attribute to spin waves among the ferromagnetically ordered
Pr moments. The coupling between the Pr and Mn spins may also provide a basis
for understanding the low temperature phase diagram of this most unusual
manganite.
