Solute Clustering and Magnetic Behavior in Au-Fe

A solid solution of Au-Fe was given various heat treatments causing the Fe to cluster. This variation in short-range compositional order induces corresponding changes in the magnetic behavior of the alloy. Especially noteworthy was the response of the temperature dependence of the magnetic order. There appears to be a gradual change in the nature of the exchange interaction which attains short-range character with increased clustering. The Mössbauer effect was used to observe this gradual transition by measuring the magnetic hyperfine splitting of the ${}_{}{}^{57}{}_{}{}^{}\mathrm{Fe}$.