Magnetic-Form Factor of Fe3Al

Abstract

A polarized neutron study carried out on the high angle superlattice reflections of ordered Fe3Al shows that the near neighbor environment influences not only the average moment per Fe atom, but also the spatial symmetry of the d electron charge distribution. Preliminary analysis of the form factor indicates that the magnetic electrons of the Fe atom surrounded by 8 Fe near neighbors (which has a moment μ = 2.1μB)preferentially occupy the doubly degenerate eg orbitals, while those of the Fe atom with 4 Fe and 4 Al near neighbors (μ = 1.5μB) favor the triply degenerate t2g orbitals.