Magnetostrictive Effects in an Antiferromagnetic Hematite Crystal

Abstract

Magnetostrictive distortions in an antiferromagnetic natural single crystal of hematite have been studied in the region of the transition near -25°C, where the antiferromagnetic axis spontaneously shifts its crystal-lographic direction by 90°. The magnetostriction is shown to be closely related to the parasitic magnetization and is interpreted in terms of the existence of domain walls separating antiferromagnetic domains.