Neutron-scattering studies of structural and magnetic properties of RECu/sub 6/ compounds

Thesis/Dissertation · Thu Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1987

OSTI ID:5358201

Vrtis, M L

The structure of the RECu/sub 6/ series (RE = La,Ce,Pr,Nd) was studied at various temperatures from 10 to 573 K by time-of-flight neutron-powder diffractions. The high-temperature orthorhombic cell transforms to a monoclinic cell at a temperature determined by the rare earth ion. Rietveld structural refinement at each temperature give details of the structural distortion associated with the transition. The space groups an the temperature dependence of the monoclinic strain for each compound are consistent with a second-order phase transition driven by a soft acoustic phonon mode. By comparing the structural transition in these compounds, it is seen that the force constants acting on the rare-earth ion in this structure are significantly different for cerium, presumably due to its more delocalized 4f electrons. Polarized neutron-scattering techniques were used to study the spatial distribution and temperature dependence of the magnetization induced by an externally applied magnetic field in a single crystal of CeCu/sub 6/. This heavy-fermion compound remains paramagnetic and non-superconducting down to approx. 10 mK.

• Research Organization: Northwestern Univ., Evanston, IL (USA)
• OSTI ID: 5358201
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
360102* -- Metals & Alloys-- Structure & Phase Studies
360104 -- Metals & Alloys-- Physical Properties
ALLOYS
CERIUM ALLOYS
COHERENT SCATTERING
COPPER ALLOYS
CRYSTAL STRUCTURE
DIFFRACTION
LANTHANUM ALLOYS
MAGNETIC PROPERTIES
NEODYMIUM ALLOYS
NEUTRON DIFFRACTION
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
PRASEODYMIUM ALLOYS
RARE EARTH ALLOYS
SCATTERING