Neutron Diffraction Study of the Magnetic Behavior of Gadolinium

Abstract

Neutron diffraction measurements were made on a single crystal of gadolinium at sample temperatures from 10 to 350°K to investigate the possible occurrence of a spiral spin structure. The measurements show that Gd is a normal ferromagnet with a rather complex temperature dependence of the spontaneous moment alignment. Between $T_C=294\mathrm{}$ and 232°K the moment is parallel to the $c$ axis; below 232°K it moves away from the $c$ axis to a maximum deviation of about 65° near 180°K and then back to within 32° of the $c$ axis at low temperatures.