Neutron depolarization imaging of the hydrostatic pressure dependence of inhomogeneous ferromagnets

TL;DR

This study uses neutron depolarization imaging to non-destructively analyze how inhomogeneous ferromagnetic materials, specifically Ni$_3$Al, respond to high hydrostatic pressures with high spatial resolution.

Contribution

It introduces a neutron depolarization imaging method with high resolution for studying pressure effects on inhomogeneous ferromagnets.

Findings

Spatially resolved pressure dependence of magnetic properties obtained

Demonstrated effectiveness of neutron depolarization imaging under high pressure

Provided insights into inhomogeneous ferromagnetic behavior

Abstract

The investigation of fragile and potentially inhomogeneous forms of ferromagnetic order under extreme conditions, such as low temperatures and high pressures, is of central interest for areas such as geophysics, correlated electron systems, as well as the optimization of materials synthesis for applications where particular material properties are required. We report neutron depolarization imaging measurements on the weak ferromagnet Ni$_3$Al under pressures up to 10kbar using a Cu:Be clamp cell. Using a polychromatic neutron beam with wavelengths $\lambda\geq$ 4\AA in combination with $^3$He neutron spin filter cells as polarizer and analyzer we were able to track differences of the pressure response in inhomogeneous samples by virtue of high resolution neutron depolarization imaging. This provides spatially resolved and non-destructive access to the pressure dependence of the magnetic properties of inhomogeneous ferromagnetic materials.