Magnetic Susceptibility of ε and η Phase Alloys in the Silver-Zinc System

Abstract

Magnetic susceptibility measurements are reported in the range of the hcp ε and η phases of the Ag–Zn system. The observed trend suggests that a minimum occurs in the magnetic susceptibility of the conduction electrons within the phase field of the ε phase at an electron concentration of approximately 1.8 electrons per atom. In the η phase the magnetic susceptibility increases rapidly, but the trend is less steep than that extrapolated from the ε phase. The results show certain similar features with the measurements of the lattice spacings and of thermodynamic properties reported in the literature. The magnetic susceptibility of the ε phase alloys can be related to the possible interactions between the Fermi surface and the Brillouin zone, but the behavior of the susceptibility in the η phase appears to be also dependent on local interactions between zinc atoms.