Conduction-electron polarization and moment perturbations in diluteFe3Si-based alloys

The spatial variation of the s-conduction-electron polarization in the ${\mathrm{Fe}}_3$Si system is determined from the measured hyperfine fields of the near-stoichiometric ${\mathrm{Fe}}_3$Si alloys. This polarization is then combined with the hyperfine-field data from Mn, V, Co, and Ni solutes and used to derive the solute moments and moment perturbations in ${\mathrm{Fe}}_3$Si to obtain the solute-moment and host-moment perturbations caused by these impurities. The behavior of these solute moments and moment perturbations is seen to be very similar to that of the same solutes in binary Fe alloys. Since ${\mathrm{Fe}}_3$Si is closely related to Heusler alloys, it is suggested that their magnetic behavior is also governed by the same mechanism that determines the magnetic behavior of binary Fe alloys; that is, the conduction $d$-like electrons, not $s$-like electrons, are responsible for the magnetic alignment.