Sperimagnetism in Fe(78)Er(5)B(17) and Fe(64)Er(19)B(17) metallic glasses: II. Collinear components and ferrimagnetic compensation

Magnetization measurements on an Fe(64)Er(19)B(17) glass and polarized-beam neutron scattering measurements on Fe(78)Er(5)B(17) and Fe(64)Er(19)B(17) were described in part I. The finite spin-flip neutron scattering cross sections were calculated using a sperimagnetic structure based on random cone arrangements of the magnetic moments. The temperature variation of the cross sections of Fe(64)Er(19)B(17) suggested that a compensated sperimagnetic phase existed at T(comp).

The analysis of the non-spin-flip neutron scattering cross sections is described here in part II. Two spin-dependent total structure factors S(+/-+/-). (Q) were defined from these cross sections and, despite the limited range of the data 0.5 angstrom(-1) < Q < 6.5 angstrom(-1), their Fourier transform gave reliable spin-dependent radial distribution functions RDF(+/-+/-) (r). These were interpreted in terms of the atomic pair correlation functions rho(+/-+/-)(AB) (r) and their weighting factors omega(+/-+/-)(AB).The data on Fe(64)Er(19)B(17) at 1.5 K showed, for example, how the directions of the magnetic sublattices can be defined uniquely. The analysis of the RDF(+/-+/-) (r) for Fe(64)Er(19)B(17) at 112 K confirmed that the mean collinear components of the magnetic moments <mu(parallel to)(Er)>, <mu(parallel to)(Fe)> are zero on both sublattices in the compensated sperimagnetic structure at T(comp). The pre-peak in the spin-dependent total structure factors at 112 K showed that it originated in the atomic structure and it may involve Fe-Er-Fe 'collineations' at a radial distance of approximate to 6.0 angstrom. Finally, the RDF(+/-+/-) (r) of Fe(64)Er(19)B(17) at 180 K and of Fe(78)Er(5)B(17) at 2 K show that both glasses have the (mu(Fe) UP:mu(Er) DOWN) structure like the (Fe, Tb)(83)B(17) collinear ferrimagnets.