FIELD-INDUCED MAGNETIC-MOMENTS IN A METASTABLE IRON-MERCURY ALLOY

The magnetic properties of a metastable iron-mercury alloy have been i nvestigated in the temperature range from 5 to 200 K by Mossbauer spec troscopy and magnetization measurements. At low temperatures the magne tic moment per iron atom is larger than that of alpha-Fe. The effectiv e spontaneous magnetic moment for the iron-mercury alloy extrapolated to 0 K was found to be 2.40 mu(B) per iron atom. By applying magnetic fields up to 12 T it was possible to further increase the magnetizatio n. Mossbauer results showed that the high field susceptibility could n ot be explained by spin canting effects. It was found that the field-i nduced increase of the magnetic moment in the metastable iron-mercury alloy was about 0.06 mu(B) per iron atom in the temperature range from 5 to 200 K for a field change from 6 to 12 T.