Neutron depolarization studies of Pd–Ni–Fe–P alloy

Bulk metallic glasses based on the quaternary alloy Pd–Ni–Fe–P exhibit interesting phase behavior depending on temperature and applied magnetic field. Previous work has suggested that a range of magnetic phases, including paramagnetic, superparamagnetic, ferromagnetic and spin glass, can be observed in this system. We have applied one-dimensional neutron depolarization to explore the correlation of magnetic moments in Pd40Ni22.5Fe17.5P20 alloy as a function of temperature and applied magnetic field. The results provided evidence for correlation lengths of ∼200Å. The nature of the correlations and the formation mechanism of the induced ferromagnetic phase are discussed.