Spin fluctuations (SF) are magnetization fluctuations in a metal. They have been proposed as the fundamental origins of the finite temperature properties of transition metals. This thesis presents amorphous iron-zirconium ($a$-Fe$ sb{x}$Zr$ sb{100-x}$) as an ideal system in which to study SF. $a$-Fe$ sb{x}$Zr$ sb{100-x}$ transforms from an exchange-enhanced paramagnet to a weak ferromagnet with increasing $x$, while the atomic structure remains virtually unchanged. The enhancement by SF of the effective electron mass has been studied in $a$-Fe$ sb{x}$Zr$ sb{100-x}$ by low temperature calorimetry. We report the first observation of the complete quenching or suppression of SF in a metal, achievable by either raising the temperature, or by applying a high magnetic field. This complete quenching allows us to rule out the formation of super-paramagnetic clusters, the only other plausible explanation of the data. $a$-Fe$ sb{x}$Zr$ sb{100-x}$, therefore, shows the clearest evidence to date of SF in the electronic properties.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.28441 |
| Date | January 1994 |
| Creators | Dawson, Andrew LeRossignol |
| Contributors | Ryan, D. H. (advisor) |
| Publisher | McGill University |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Coverage | Doctor of Philosophy (Department of Physics.) |
| Rights | All items in eScholarship@McGill are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated. |
| Relation | alephsysno: 001424815, proquestno: NN00088, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest. |
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