Spin-Disorder-Induced Angular Anisotropy in Polarized Magnetic Neutron Scattering
We experimentally report a hitherto unseen angular anisotropy in the polarized small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) cross section of a magnetically strongly inhomogeneous material. Based on an analytical prediction using micromagnetic theory, the difference between the spin-up and spin-down SANS cross sections is expected to show a spin-disorder-induced anisotropy. The effect is particularly pronounced in inhomogeneous magnetic materials, such as nanoporous ferromagnets, magnetic nanocomposites, or steels, which exhibit large nanoscale jumps in the saturation magnetization at internal pore-matrix or particle-matrix interfaces. Analysis of the experimental neutron data constitutes a method for determining the exchange-stiffness constant. Our results for the nuclear-magnetic interference terms contained in the polarized magnetic neutron scattering cross section might also be of relevance to other neutron techniques.
Authors
- Nina‐Juliane Steinke (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0207-6071)
- Venus Rai (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4946-8750)
- Evelyn Pratami Sinaga (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7758-7928)
- Mathias Bersweiler (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8641-3337)
- Diego Alba Venero (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5612-8076)
- Vladyslav M. Kuchkin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3119-320X)
- Michael P. Adams (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9269-8087)
- Andreas Haller (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9406-1108)
- Joachim Kohlbrecher (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5879-6943)
- Andreas Michels (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2786-295X)
- M. Lahr
- L. Fernández Barquı́n (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4722-3722)
- Dirk Honecker (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0763-982X)
- Thomas L. Schmidt (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1473-3913)
- Ivan Titov (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2583-1893)
- K. Suzuki (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8659-6786)
- Štefan Liščák (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0003-7501-9195)
Institutions
- Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (GB)
- Universidad de Cantabria (ES)
- University of Luxembourg (LU)
- Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute (AU)
- Paul Scherrer Institute (CH)
- Institut Langevin (FR)
- Institut Laue-Langevin (FR)
- Monash University (AU)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Physical Review Letters
- Published
- 2025-11-06
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1103/5yc2-pv4y
- Primary Topic
- Magnetic properties of thin films
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00