Magnetic diffuse scattering in disordered systems studied by neutron polarization analysis (invited)

Neutron polarization analysis studies of both nuclear and magnetic correlations in disordered alloys and compounds provide a unique insight into the character and extent of magnetic disorder in these systems and its dependence on local atomic environment. We present here a review of polarization analysis studies of magnetic and structural defects in a variety of materials, performed using the diffuse scattering spectrometer D7 at the Institut Laue-Langevin. The diverse range of magnetic materials studied using D7 include spin-glasses, frustrated itinerant electron systems, pyrochlores, and quasicrystals. (C) 2000 American Institute of Physics. [S0021-8979(00)78408-8].