Neutron Scattering for Inorganic Magnetic Materials

Neutron scattering is a critical technique for studying the magnetic properties of inorganic materials since neutrons interact directly with unpaired electron spins. This makes magnetic neutron scattering an important probe into the magnetic structures and dynamics of condensed-matter materials. In this chapter we introduce some important mathematical tools needed to understand magnetic neutron scattering, including Fourier transforms and vectors. Following this, the basic mechanisms that describe the neutron’s interaction with magnetic materials will be presented. Examples will be given to demonstrate the power of magnetic neutron scattering for investigating long range ordered structures, localised magnetism and novel magnetic structures. Intermediate order, including topological magnetism, frustrated magnetism and magnetic critical scattering will also be described. Uniaxial neutron polarisation analysis and its applications to magnetic materials are discussed. Finally, we will give the reader some tips and tricks for performing neutron scattering measurements on magnetic materials with some handy rules to follow.