Spin-Wave Excitations in the Conical and Spiral Magnetic Phases of Holmium Metal

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Abstract
Spin‐wave excitations propagating along the c and a axes of holmium metal have been studied by neutron inelastic scattering techniques, with a triple‐axis spectrometer in both the constant Q and constant energy‐transfer modes of operation. Measurements were made in the conical magnetic phase at a temperature of 4.6°K and in the spiral phase at 25°K. The dispersion curves for the two phases are similar in shape, although the spin‐wave energies in the spiral phase are consistently lower than in the conical phase. For example, the energies of spin waves of wave vector (0, 0, 2π/c) are 3.97±0.21 and 3.48±0.21 meV in the conical and spiral phases, respectively, while those of spin waves of wave vector (0, 0, π/c) are 2.64±0.21 and 2.07±0.17 meV, respectively. The results give information about the Fourier‐transformed exchange, J(0)−J(q), and the crystal field parameters.

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