MAGNETIC-ORDERING IN A SUPERCOOLED CO-PD MELT STUDIED BY MUON-SPIN ROTATION

Liquid samples of Co80Pd20 were cooled below their liquidus temperatur e T-l and supercooled towards the paramagnetic-ferromagnetic transitio n temperature T-C(l) by means of the Electromagnetic Levitation (EML) technique. Muon-Spin Rotation (mu SR) measurements were used to determ ine the spin precession frequency f and the transverse muon-spin relax ation rate Gamma in the liquid supercooled sample at temperatures T > T-C(l). Gamma increases by a factor of 5 when T approaches T-C(l), ind icating large spin fluctuations caused by the onset of spontaneous mag netization. The temperature dependence of the inverse frequency shift Delta f(-1) reflects a Curie-Weiss behaviour of the paramagnetic susce ptibility. The experiments strongly suggest the existence of ferromagn etic ordering in a liquid metal.