Analysis of the magnetic domain structure of electrodeposited nickel studied by neutron depolarization

A polarized monochromatic neutron beam is transmitted through a nickel sheet which has been electrodeposited onto a copper backing. The polarization direction of the incoming beam may be adjusted in three orthogonal directions, while the polarization after transmission through the sample can be analyzed in three independent directions. In this way a (3×3) depolarization matrix can be determined, of which the diagonal elements give the depolarization factors in the successive directions. At zero applied magnetic field and perpendicular transmission no depolarization is observed when the polarization vector is perpendicular to the sheet. The depolarization factors in the other two directions nearly follow a cosine dependence on the neutron wavelength. A structure consisting of domains with magnetization directions perpendicular to the sheet could explain the results. By varying the angle of transmission of the neutron beam with respect to the plane of the sheet one can determine the mean domain size and to some extent the nature of the distribution function of the domain size in the plane of the sheet. In addition, the depolarization has been studied as a function of a magnetic field applied in a direction in the plane of the sheet. The results are compared with magnetization measurements performed in a magnetic field applied in the same direction.