Exchange fields in Gd–Fe intermetallics studied by inelastic neutron scattering

Inelastic neutron scattering (INS) was used to study the magnetic excitations in the compounds Gd_1−xY_xFe₂ and Gd_2−xY_xFe₁₄B. Three inelastic magnetic lines were observed in the INS spectra of these compounds, the two smaller lines appearing as shoulders to the main line. From the concentration-dependent shift of the dominant magnetic line we have obtained experimental information of the strength of the Gd–Gd interaction in these materials and showed that the Gd–Gd contribution to the total molecular field experienced by the Gd moments is roughly an order of magnitude smaller than the contribution of the Gd–Fe interaction. Our results are compared with several earlier published results, including results of electronic band structure calculations.