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The heat capacity and thermal expansion of a high quality single crystal of MnSi were measured at ambient pressure at zero and high magnetic fields. The calculated magnetic entropy change in the temperature range 0-30 K is less than 0.1R, a low value that emphasizes the itinerant nature of magnetism in MnSi. A linear temperature term dominates the thermal expansion coefficient in the range 30-150 K, which correlates with an enhancement of the linear electronic term in the heat capacity. A surprising similarity among the variations of the heat capacity, thermal expansion coefficient and temperature derivative of the resistivity is observed through the phase transition in MnSi. Specific forms of the heat capacity, thermal expansion coefficient and temperature derivative of resistivity at the phase transition to a helical magnetic state near 29 K are interpreted as the combination of sharp first-order features and broad peaks or shallow valleys of as yet unknown origin. The appearance of these broad satellites probably hints at a frustrated magnetic state slightly above the transition temperature in MnSi.

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Measurements of the sound velocities in a single crystal of MnSi were performed in the temperature range 4-150 K. Elastic constants, controlling propagation of longitudinal waves, reveal significant softening at a temperature of about 29.6 K and small discontinuities at ∼28.8 K, which corresponds to the magnetic phase transition in MnSi. In contrast, the shear elastic moduli do not show any softening at all, reacting only to the small volume deformation caused by the magneto-volume effect. The current ultrasonic study exposes an important fact that the magnetic phase transition in MnSi, occurring at 28.8 K, is just a minor feature of the global transformation marked by the rounded maxima or minima of heat capacity, thermal expansion coefficient, sound velocities and absorption, and the temperature derivative of resistivity.

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