One-dimensional bulk ferromagnets: NdAl2 and hcp cobalt

It is shown experimentally that NdAl₂ and hcp cobalt are one-dimensional (1D) bulk ferromagnets. For hcp cobalt this is only under the condition that the sample is magnetically saturated, i.e. that all moments are aligned parallel to the hexagonal c-axis. In 1D magnets the transverse interactions need not to be zero but must be sufficiently weak such that the transverse correlation length does not diverge at the critical temperature. The transverse interactions are then not relevant and the phase transition is driven by the longitudinal interactions. On the other hand, magnetic Bragg scattering relies on finite transverse correlations. For NdAl₂ no conventional magnetic Bragg scattering is observed if all moments are aligned vertical to the scattering plane by a magnetic field. For hcp cobalt the scattering intensity is considerably reduced in this geometry instead of having its maximum. From this observation it can be concluded that the transverse correlation length is practically zero in NdAl₂ but has a finite value in hcp cobalt. The macroscopic magnetization shows normal ferromagnetic saturation.     

First order spin flop transition in yttrium iron garnet (YIG)

We have studied the field dependence of the sublattice magnetization of ferrimagnetic yttrium iron garnet (YIG) using neutron scattering. In contrast to the macroscopic spontaneous magnetization that shows the normal field dependence of a soft ferromagnet (sudden saturation at the demagnetization field and no hysteresis) in neutron scattering a field induced first order spin flop transition with considerable hysteresis is observed at a critical field of H_c∼580 G (external field). Considering that with neutron scattering the antiferromagnetic component of ∼4/5 of the total moment is detected preferentially while in the macroscopic magnetization samples the ferromagnetic component of ∼1/5 exclusively it becomes clear that ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic component have a completely independent field (and temperature) dependence. This indicates that the two magnetic structures have to be viewed as two weakly coupled order parameters. In the zero field ground state the moment orientations of the two ordering structures are orthogonal. Only for fields H₀>H_c a nearly collinear ferrimagnetic order is established by the field.     

Effect of a magnetic field on the correlation length in a one-dimensional antiferromagnet

New results of quasi-elastic neutron scattering on the one-dimensional antiferromagnet TMMC establish that below 5 K TMMC is actually in an XY state. The effect of a magnetic field is described in terms of crossover transitions associated with a reduction of the spin dimensionality. TMMC undergoes an XY-Ising transition when H is applied perpendicular to the chain axis.     

The impact of renormalization group theory on magnetism

The basic issues of renormalization group (RG) theory, i.e. universality, crossover phenomena, relevant interactions etc. are verified experimentally on magnetic materials. Universality is demonstrated on account of the saturation of the magnetic order parameter for T ↦ 0. Universal means that the deviations with respect to saturation at T = 0 can perfectly be described by a power function of absolute temperature with an exponent ε that is independent of spin structure and lattice symmetry. Normally the T^ε function holds up to ~0.85T_c where crossover to the critical power function occurs. Universality for T ↦ 0 cannot be explained on the basis of the material specific magnon dispersions that are due to atomistic symmetry. Instead, continuous dynamic symmetry has to be assumed. The quasi particles of the continuous symmetry can be described by plane waves and have linear dispersion in all solids. This then explains universality. However, those quasi particles cannot be observed using inelastic neutron scattering. The principle of relevance is demonstrated using the competition between crystal field interaction and exchange interaction as an example. If the ratio of crystal field interaction to exchange interaction is below some threshold value the local crystal field is not relevant under the continuous symmetry of the ordered state and the saturation moment of the free ion is observed for T ↦ 0. Crossover phenomena either between different exponents or between discrete changes of the pre-factor of the T^ε function are demonstrated for the spontaneous magnetization and for the heat capacity.     

The crossover from atomistic to continuous dynamic symmetry at the magnetic phase transition

It is suggested that the change from Curie-Weiss susceptibility to critical susceptibility has to be identified as crossover from atomistic to continuous dynamic symmetry. At this crossover the correlation length becomes of the order of the near neighbour distance. This enables dynamic percolation for lower temperatures and crossover to continuous symmetry. Continuous dynamic symmetry implies universality, i.e. a temperature dependence that is independent of the atomistic structures. This is in disagreement with the material specific magnon dispersion relations evaluated by inelastic neutron scattering. On the basis of these magnon dispersions the observed universality at the stable fixed point T=0 cannot be explained. Instead a linear dispersion has to be postulated for all magnets. According to Goldstone, Salam and Weinberg (GSW) the quasi particles of this linear dispersion are non-interacting and massless. No interaction between the quasi particles requests that they have no magnetic moment and, as a consequence, must be spin compensated, in a similar way as is known from the Cooper pairs of superconductivity. Observation by neutron scattering therefore is impossible. The magnetic specific heat provides, so far, the only indirect access to the hypothesized spin-less magnetic quasi particles. We investigate experimental data of the ferromagnet EuS as a simple model material.     

Asymmetric magnetization reversal on exchange biased CoO/Co bilayers

We study magnetic hysteresis loops after field cooling of a CoO/Co bilayer by MOKE and polarized neutron reflectivity. The neutron scattering reveals that the first magnetization reversal after field cooling is dominated by domain wall movement, whereas all subsequent reversals proceed essentially by rotation of the magnetization. In addition, off-specular diffuse scattering indicates that the first magnetization reversal induces an irreversible change of the domain state in the antiferromagnet.     

Electronic conductivity in 1D Co spin chain single crystal

We have measured the transport and magnetic properties of the model spin chain single crystal Ca₃Co₂O₆ in high pulsed fields. A crossover between 1D and 3D transport is observed, with the opening of a Coulomb gap below the order temperature of the individual chains. The samples show changes in the variable range hopping transport dimensionality and gap; the magnetic field suppresses the gap, inducing a significant reduction of the resistance, while dimensionality seems governed by temperature. At fields associated with the levels of magnetization of the frustrated triangular lattice formed by the Co lines, and below the critical magnetic temperature, a further increase of the conductivity is observed. This effect is associated with planar magnetic states perpendicular to the lines.     

Magnetic excitations of HoAl2 in a magnetic field

The ground state spin wave excitation energies of single crystalline HoAl₂ have been studied at T= 4.2 K in external magnetic fields up to 7 T by means of inelastic neutron scattering. The results have been interpreted in terms of a cubic crystalline electric field using the parameters determined by magnetization measurements and an exchange interaction with the exchange parameters taken from the zero field measurements.     

Two-dimensional magnetic ordering in a multilayer structure

The effect of confinement from one, two or from all three directions on magnetic ordering has remained an active field of research for almost 100 years. The role of dipolar interactions and anistropy are important to obtain, the otherwise forbidden, ferromagnetic ordering at finite temperature for ions arranged in two-dimensional (2D) arrays (monlayers). We have demonstrated that conventional low-temperature magnetometry and polarized neutron scattering measurements can be performed to study short-range ferromagnetic ordering of in-plane spins in 2D systems using a multilayer stack of non-interacting monolayers of gadolinium ions formed by Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) technique. The spontaneous magnetization could not be detected in the heterogeneous magnetic phase observed here and the saturation value of the net magnetization was found to depend on the sample temperature and applied magnetic field. The net magnetization rises exponentially with lowering temperature and then reaches saturation following a T ln(βT) dependence. The T ln (βT) dependence of magnetization has been predicted from spinwave theory of 2D in-plane spin system with ferromagnetic interaction. The experimental findings reported here could be explained by extending this theory to a temperature domain of βT<1.     

Magnetic inverted photonic crystals: A polarized neutron scattering study

This work is devoted to a small-angle polarized neutron scattering study of the structure and magnetic properties of nickel inverted photonic crystals. Depending on the intensity of the small-angle scattering, diffraction maximums up to fourth-order reflections, which correspond to scattering from the highly ordered structures of the test samples, are observed. Several contributions to the scattering are analyzed: a nuclear contribution; a magnetic contribution; a contribution depending on an external magnetic field; and a nuclear magnetic interference, which shows a correlation between magnetic and nuclear structures. It is found that a magnetization reversal process, which was represented by a standard hysteresis curve, for weak fields was accompanied by both domain formation and coherent magnetization rotation from the field direction to directions caused by geometric structure peculiarities.     

Neutron scattering study of the field-dependent ground state and the spin dynamics in spin-one-half NH4CuCl3

Elastic and inelastic neutron scattering experiments have been performed on the dimer spin system NH4CuCl3, which shows plateaus in the magnetization curve at m=1/4 and m=3/4 of the saturation value. Two structural phase transitions at T1 approximately 156 K and at T(2)=70 K lead to a doubling of the crystallographic unit cell along the b direction and as a consequence a segregation into different dimer subsystems. Long-range magnetic ordering is reported below T(N)=1.3 K. The magnetic field dependence of the excitation spectrum identifies successive quantum phase transitions of the dimer subsystems as the driving mechanism for the unconventional magnetization process in agreement with a recent theoretical model.     

Induced moment due to perpendicular field cycling in trained exchange bias system

Depth-sensitive polarized neutron scattering in specular and off-specular mode has recently revealed that perpendicular field cycling brings about a modification in the interfacial magnetization of a trained exchange coupled interface. We show here by various model fits to our neutron reflectivity data that a restoration of the untrained state is not possible in the case of our polycrystalline multilayer specimen. This is due a magnetic moment at the interface induced only after perpendicular field cycling, changing the initial field-cooled state.     

Vortex lattice symmetry in hexagonal superconductor CaAlSi probed by small angle neutron scattering

The small angle neutron scattering diffraction patterns from the flux line lattice state in the layered hexagonal superconductor CaAlSi are observed. Under an applied magnetic field (H) parallel to the crystalline c-axis, a hexagonal vortex structure is observed over the entire temperature/field regions. On the other hand, the vortex configuration under H∥a shows an ellipsoidal arrangement of the first-order Bragg peaks due to the anisotropic penetration depth. It was inferred from these results that the vortex state characterized by penetration depth and coherence length in CaAlSi may be described by that of anisotropic uniaxial superconductor using London theory.     

Damage processes in Fe 3 O 4 magnetic insulator irradiated by swift heavy ions. Experimental results and modelisation

The behavior of the magnetic properties of magnetite Fe₃O₄ irradiated by swift heavy ions is investigated by magnetization measurements. Although there is no induced structural phase transformation, both coercive field and saturation magnetization are sensitive to ion irradiation and exhibit different behaviors depending on the ion fluence range. In the low fluence regime, the coercive field increases, which is evidence for a strong pinning of magnetic domain boundaries by the induced defects. The magnetization shows a decrease in the saturation value and tends to reorient perpendicularly to the ion track axis. At high fluence, the initial magnetic properties of the sample are nearly restored. The changes in the magnitude and the direction of magnetization are interpreted by magnetostrictive effects related to the stress induced by irradiation. A phenomenological model is applied to reproduce the fluence evolution of the saturation magnetization, assuming relaxation of the stress induced around the core of defects of the tracks by overlapping effects at high fluence. The results are compared to those obtained in the case of yttrium iron garnet Y₃Fe₅O₁₂. Received 18 April 2001 and Received in final form 24 July 2001     

Magnetization distribution in magnetic films studied with Larmor-encoding

Additional information about the magnetization distribution in magnetic films is obtained with a 3D-polarimetry set-up. A pilot experiment was performed with the neutron polarization aligned perpendicular to the surface of a Fe-film in a magnetic field parallel to its surface. The Larmor-precession in the magnetic field between two current sheets was used to adjust the neutron polarization perpendicular to the sample surface. This new polarization-magnetization configuration was probed with a Fe-film in specular and off-specular scattering. The off-specular scattering is created by the magnetic domain structure of the Fe-film in remanence. The results of specular and off-specular scattering are reproduced by calculations for the configuration of the incoming neutron polarization parallel to the sample surface and the magnetic field and for the configuration of the incoming neutron polarization perpendicular to the sample surface and the magnetic field.     

Two-component magnetization in Pd<Subscript>99</Subscript>Fe<Subscript>01</Subscript> thin films

Magnetometry data on 5- to 40-nm-thick PdFe films are presented for the first time. It is found that the decrease in the film thickness leads not only to the lowering of the temperature of the transition from the paramagnetic to ferromagnetic state and to the decrease in the saturation magnetization but also to the drastic changes in the film properties. In particular, the type of the temperature dependence of magnetization changes, the Curie temperature becomes strongly dependent on the applied magnetic field, and two transition temperatures are observed in zero magnetic field. The observed effects are attributed to the transition from the three-dimensional distribution of ferromagnetic clusters arising around impurity iron atoms to the two-dimensional one and can be treated within the model of impurity magnetism suggested by Korenblit and Shender.     

Spin density wave of itinerant heavy electrons in Ce(Ru0.85Rh0.15)2Si2

The magnetic properties of Ce(Ru_0.85Rh_0.15)₂Si₂ were studied by neutron scattering and measurements of magnetization, susceptibility, specific heat and thermal expansion as a function of temperature. We observe a crossover from a high temperature localized spin to a low temperature heavy electron state. Spin density wave (SDW) behavior appears in the heavy electron state below T_N = 5.5 K and the volume change due to spin quantum fluctuations associated with the SDW and the Kondo screening is reminiscent of moment-volume instabilities of the INVAR and anti-INVAR behavior of 3 d transition metal alloys.     

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The present work is to calculate the magnetic thermodynamically functions, i.e. energy, the intensity of magnetization, enthalpy, entropy and Gibbs function for nuclear magnetic moments of T, D and neutron n at 2T and 1, 50, 100 and 150K from partition functions. It is shown that magnetic saturation of thermonuclear plasma does not easily occur for nuclear magneton is only of10^-3 of Bohr magneton. The work done by magnetic field is considerable.     

Analytic expression for the magnetization curve and hysteresis loop

In a real ferromagnet there are a large number of domains differing greatly in energy, so that a domain energy distribution can be introduced. The nonvanishing initial permeability and saturation on the magnetization curve allow an analytic expression to be found for this function and thus for the magnetization curve. Taking the domain interaction into account by introducing a starting field allows the B(H) dependence found to be generalized to weak fields. Analysis of ideal magnetization curves shows that the superposition on a constant field of varying fields having nonvanishing amplitudes reduces the starting field to zero, i.e., removes the magnetic interaction. The B, H plane can be thought of as a complex plane, each point of which is associated with some state of the ferromagnet. A transformation is made from the magnetization curve to the remagnetization curve by a linear transformation of this complex point. In this manner, a transformation can be made from the B(H) dependence found for weak fields to an analytic expression for the hysteresis loop in the same field range.Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii Fizika, No. 11, pp. 59–62, November, 1970.