Low-Temperature Magnetic Transitions in Dilute Au-Based Alloys with Cr, Mn, and Fe

Abstract

A study has been made of the low-temperature magnetic behavior of gold-based solid solutions containing transition metals in dilute concentration. Of particular interest are Au-Cr, Au-Mn, and Au-Fe, for which solid solutions of higher concentration have been found by other workers to undergo antiferromagnetic (Cr) and ferromagnetic (Mn and Fe) transitions. The present results show that for alloys of about 1 at.% there occur low-temperature magnetic transitions which are similar for all three solutes. The main features of the transitions, as in dilute Cu-Mn alloys, are a susceptibility maximum and, below the temperature of the maximum, a saturable remanent magnetic moment which increases with decreasing temperature in a characteristic manner. The temperature of the maximum increases nearly in proportion to concentration and also depends on the identity of the solute, being about 12, 4, and 8°K/at.%, respectively, for Cr, Mn, and Fe. In the case of Au-V and Au-Co alloys susceptibility maxima and remanent magnetization were absent.