DOE OSTI2015
Iron is a well-utilized material in structural and magnetic applications. This does not mean, however, that it is well understood, especially in the field of magnetostriction. In particular, the rhombohedral magnetostriction of iron, λ{sub 111}, is anomalous in two respects: it is negative in sign, in disagreement with the prediction of first principles theory, and its magnitude decreases with increasing temperature much too rapidly to be explained by a power law dependence on magnetization. These behaviors could arise from the location of the Fermi level, which leaves a small region of the majority 3d t{sub 2g} states unfilled, possibly favoring small internal displacements that split these states. If this view is correct, adding small amounts of Co to Fe fills some of these states, and the value of λ{sub 111} should increase toward a positive value, as predicted for perfect bcc Fe. We have measured the magnetostriction coefficients (λ{sub 111} and λ{sub 100}) of pure Fe, Fe{sub 97}Co{sub 3}, and Fe{sub 94}Co{sub 6} single crystals from 77 K to 450 K. Resonant ultrasound spectroscopy has been used to check for anomalies in the associated elastic constants, c{sub 44} and c′. The additional electrons provided by the cobalt atoms indeed produced positive contributions to both magnetostriction constants, λ{sub 111} and λ{sub 100}, exhibiting an increase of 2.8 × 10{sup −6} per at. % Co for λ{sub 111} and 3.8 × 10{sup −6} per at. % Co for λ{sub 100}.
75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗