De-mixing dynamics of a binary liquid system in a controlled-pore glass

The European Physical Journal E - The temperature-induced microphase separation of the binary liquid system iso-butyric acid+heavy water (iBA + D2O) in a mesoporous silica glass (CPG-10-75) of...     

Arrays of interacting ferromagnetic nanofilaments: Small-angle neutron diffraction study

Magnetic properties of spatially ordered arrays of interacting nanofilaments have been studied by means of small-angle diffraction of polarized neutrons. Several diffraction maxima or rings that correspond to the scattering of the highly ordered structure of pores/filaments with hexagonal packing have been observed in neutron scattering intensity maps. The interference (nuclear-magnetic) and pure magnetic contributions to the scattering have been analyzed during the magnetic reversal of the nanofilament array in a field applied perpendicular to the nanofilament axis. The average magnetization and the interference contribution proportional to it increase with the field and are saturated at H = H _S . The magnetic reversal process occurs almost without hysteresis. The intensity of the magnetic contribution has hysteresis behavior in the magnetic reversal process for both the positive and negative fields that form the field dependence of the intensity in a butterfly shape. It has been shown that this dependence is due to the magnetostatic interaction between the filaments in the field range of H ≤ H _S . A theory for describing the magnetic properties of the arrays of interacting ferromagnetic nanofilaments in the magnetic field has been proposed.     

Study of spin-wave dynamics in Fe65Ni35 ferromagnetic via small-angle polarized-neutron scattering

The results of studying the spin dynamics of a classical Fe₆₅Ni₃₅ invar alloy are presented and analyzed. The investigations are performed via small-angle polarized-neutron scattering in the oblique geometry of a magnetic field at various temperatures (T < T _C). This approach is based on the analysis of left-right asymmetry in the magnetic scattering of polarized neutrons. The asymmetry effect arises when the magnetization direction of a sample is inclined with respect to the wave vector of the incident beam. The spin-wave scattering is concentrated within a range bounded by the cutoff angle θ_c determined by the magnetic field: θ _c ² (H) = θ ₀ ² ?(gμ_B H)θ₀/E, where \(\theta _0 = \hbar ^2 \frac{1} {{2Dm_n }}\) , H is the external magnetic field, E is the initial neutron energy, D is the spin-wave stiffness constant, and m _n is the neutron mass. The scattering is blurred by spinwave damping in the vicinity of the cutoff angle. The spin-wave stiffness constant can be obtained from a comparison of the asymmetric contribution to scattering and a model function. The temperature dependence D = D(T) is well defined by the expression D = D ₀ |τ| ^x , where \(\tau = 1 - \frac{T} {{T_C }}\) , x = 0.47 ± 0.01, D ₀ = 137 ± 3 meVŲ, and τ > 0.1 in the entire temperature range. The given method enables us to construct the temperature dependence of the spin-wave stiffness constant with a high accuracy and a small step.     

SANS analysis of opal structures made by the capillary deposition method

Small angle neutron scattering (SANS) is used to analyze the structure of opals and inverse opals made by the capillary deposition method. We show that there is no deformation in special lattice directions such as the growth direction and the support plane direction. However, effects of twinning of the dense-packed structure and plane-like lattice perturbations have been observed. The latter appear as linear surface disturbances. We propose a model with an anisotropic distribution of stacking faults which delivers the different peak intensities in the neutron diffraction pattern. The rocking curves show that small perfect crystal parts are aligned better than ±3° and ±11° for the opals and inverse opals, respectively.     

Magnetic properties of cobalt nanowires: Study by polarized SANS

Structural and magnetic properties of two-dimensional spatially ordered system of ferromagnetic cobalt nanowires embedded into Al₂O₃ matrix have been studied using polarized small-angle neutron scattering. A comprehensive analysis of contributions to the scattering intensity was carried out, including nonmagnetic (nuclear) contribution, magnetic contribution depending on the magnetic field, and nuclear-magnetic interference indicating the correlation between the magnetic and nuclear structures. Experiments have revealed an anomalously low value of the magnetic contribution as compared to the nuclear one. This behavior is interpreted in terms of low coherence of the magnetic structure caused by the anisotropy of Co crystallites as compared with the large coherency of nuclear structure of nanowires.     

Small-angle neutron scattering of nanocrystalline terbium with random paramagnetic susceptibility

We report magnetic small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) data for the nanocrystalline rare earth metal Terbium in its paramagnetic state. Whereas critical scattering dominates at large momentum transfer, q, the (magnetic-) field response of the scattering at small q arises from the spatial nonuniformity of the paramagnetic susceptibility tensor. The finding of an interrelation between SANS and the susceptibility suggests a way for characterizing the nonuniform magnetic interactions in hard magnets by neutron scattering.     

Magnetic properties of a two-dimensional spatially ordered array of nickel nanowires

The structural and magnetic characteristics of two-dimensional spatially ordered arrays of magnetic nickel nanowires embedded in the anodized alumina template have been investigated. It has been shown using small-angle polarized-neutron diffraction that, there exists the samples under investigation, in a highly ordered hexagonal structure of pores and magnetic nanowires separated by a characteristic distance d = 106 ± 2 nm. An analysis has been made of different contributions to neutron scattering, such as the nonmagnetic (nuclear) contribution, the magnetic contribution dependent on the magnetic field, and the interference contribution indicating a correlation between the magnetic and nuclear structures. The performed analysis of the results obtained has demonstrated that, when the magnetic field is applied perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the nanowire in a completely magnetized sample, there arise demagnetizing fields around each nanowire that form a regular hexagonal lattice.     

New findings in the Fe—Ni invar spin dynamics

Certainty in the spin wave stiffness D₀ was achieved for the first time in the problem of invars under Fe-Ni alloy polarized neutron scattering. A temperature power dependence of stiffness D = D₀Τ^X, with x ?0.5, was obtained for the entire ferromagnetic region Τ = 1 — T/T_c, from Τ = 0.1to Τ = 0.9. The spin stiffness was found to be D₀ = 137 meVŲ. Possible causes of scaling dependence CD(T) are discussed.     

Investigation of the chiral structure of the Y/Dy multilayer system by the method of the small-angle scattering of polarized neutrons

The magnetic spiral structure of a Y/Dy sample has been investigated for temperatures from 30 to 190 K by the method of the small-angle scattering of polarized neutrons. The sample is a sequence of layers Y_50nm [Dy_4.3nm /Y_2.8nm ]₃₅₀/Y_234nm /Nd_200nm Al₂O₃ (substrate) that is grown as a single crystal with the [001] axis of the hexagonal lattice, which is perpendicular to the layer plane. The experiments demonstrate the appearance of the magnetic peak below T _N = 165.4 K, which is associated with the helicoidal phase, and the helicoid coherence length is larger than the layer thickness of the Y/Dy layer. The use of polarized neutrons allows the separation of the polarization-independent and polarization-independent components of magnetic scattering. The polarization-independent component of the magnetic neutron cross section is proportional to magnetization squared 〈S _Z 〉², whereas the polarization-dependent component is proportional to the average chirality of the system 〈C〉 = 〈[·S ₁ × S ₂]〉. The critical exponents β_C = 1.02(1) and β = 0.39(1) have been determined for the average chirality and magnetization, respectively. The magnetization critical exponent β for Dy/Y coincides with the exponent obtained for Dy bulk samples. The difference β_C ? 2β = 0.24(2) shows that the chirality can be a component of the order parameter that is independent of magnetization. This experiment corroborates the results that were obtained for the critical chirality in Ho and were reported in Phys. Rev. B 64, 100402(R) (2001).     

Two-dimensional spatially ordered system of nickel nanowires probed by polarized SANS

Structural and magnetic properties of two-dimensional spatially ordered system of ferromagnetic nickel nanowires embedded into Al₂O₃ matrix have been studied using polarized small-angle neutron scattering. The small-angle diffraction pattern exhibits many diffraction peaks, which corresponds to the scattering from highly correlated hexagonal structure of pores and magnetic nanowires. Magnetic contribution to the scattering has complex behavior and cannot be explained without taking into account stray fields located between magnetized nanowires.