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Neutrons as a Probe of Magnetization on Atomic to Mesoscopic Scales

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 November 2013

G. Aeppli  and
S.M. Hayden
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Extract

The neutron is a spin 1/2 particle with a well-specified magnetic dipole moment which interacts with magnetic fields in solids. Because typical neutron wavelengths are comparable to interatomic distances in solids, the fields that can be probed range from the dipoles of individual electron spins to those associated with flux lines in superconductors. In this article, we give a brief introduction to the use of magnetic neutron scattering in materials science.

Progress in materials science typically involves new materials or the improved fabrication of previously known materials, followed by measuring quantities such as electrical resistivity, magnetic susceptibility, or specific heat, typically as a function of variables such as temperature, magnetic field, chemical composition, or pressure. A material is deemed interesting if a simply defined bulk characteristic either undergoes a spectacular evolution as a function of one of the variables—superconductivity comes to mind—or has a range of values that makes it uniquely suited for some predetermined application. Once the material is thought to be interesting, there are natural drives to understand the origin of its interesting properties as well as to improve them. At this point, a microscopic tool such as magnetic neutron scattering provides valuable insights that bulk measurements cannot yield.

Type
Neutron Scattering in Materials Research
Information
MRS Bulletin , Volume 24 , Issue 12 , December 1999 , pp. 29 - 33
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1999

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