Weissによる分子場概念の形成

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It has been said that P. Weiss formed his molecular field concept by analogy with the fluid theory, the basic idea of which had been mentioned by P. Curie. However, the fact is that the molecular field concept was induced as a result of his experimental study of ferromagnetic crystals. A study of how he undertook his experiments shows that Weiss was influenced greatly by the magnetic induction theory announced by W. Thomson in 1851. Weiss undertook experiments to investigate the magnetic behavior and magnetic crystal structure of magnetite of the cubic system and discovered that it did not behave isotropically. Weiss explained this anisotropy by assuming that magnetite is made of a substance which is magnetically isotropic but behaves anisotropically because of its crystal structure. Then Weiss undertook experiments on pyrrhotite of a hexagonal system. He discovered the magnetic plane and introduced the idea of an elementary crystal into his speculation concerning the crystal structure of the magnetic plane. Therefore he investigated the magnetic bahavior of the elementary crystal. The behavior was anisortopic, Weiss considered that the cause was the existence of a demagnetizing field. In 1905 he concluded that in the case of an ideal crystal, of infinite size and with no distortion or defect, no demagnetizing field appears and the crystal has saturation magnetization even when no magnetic field is applied. Because Weiss thought that magnegization should be caused by the existence of a magnetic field, it is obvious that he had already at that time a vague idea of the existence of a magnetic field in the crystal as the cause of the saturation magnetization. In 1906 Weiss called this magnetic field in the crystal the internal field, and in 1907 renamed it the "molecular field".
日本科学史学会の論文
1993-03-19

Weissによる分子場概念の形成

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