Observation of Antifferromagnetic Domains in Nickel Oxide

概要

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Birefringence patterns in antiferromagnetic NiO crystals were investigated with the orthoscope and conoscope methods using a polarizing microscope. A new birefringence pattern (p-domain pattern), which differs from usual twin domain patterns in NiO crystals, was found with in a crystallographically single domain in rather thick slabs. A (111) slab untwinned over 92 percent of its volume was made using Slack's technique. The p-domain pattern in the crystal changed after application of magnetic fields above 2 kOe. The isogyer figure of single p-domain showed that the domain deformed anisotropically by 2x10^<-5> along one of <112^^-> or <[1^^-10> in the (111) besides the known deformation along the [111]. The field dependence of the p-domain pattern was interpreted by regarding the p-domain as an antiferromagnetic spin domain in which the spin easy direction is one of <112^^-> within the (111). Magnetic anisotropy measurements of the crystal were compatible with this model.
社団法人日本物理学会の論文
1964-11-05