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    Scaling in magnetic neutron scattering

    Venus Rai and Andreas Michels*

    • Department of Physics and Materials Science, University of Luxembourg, 162A avenue de la Faiencerie, 1511 Luxembourg, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg

    • *Contact author: andreas.michels@uni.lu

    Phys. Rev. B 112, 144403 – Published 1 October, 2025

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/9qb1-r9bs

    Abstract

    We report the discovery of scaling in the mesoscale magnetic microstructure of bulk ferromagnets. Supported by analytical micromagnetic theory, we introduce the field-dependent scaling length lC(H), which describes the characteristic long-wavelength magnetization fluctuations that are caused by microstructural defects by means of magnetoelastic and magnetocrystalline anisotropy. The scaling length lC is identified to consist of the micromagnetic exchange length of the field lH, which depends on the magnetic interactions, and a field-independent contribution that reflects the properties of the magnetic anisotropy field and the magnetostatic fluctuations. The latter finding is rooted in the convolution relationship between the grain microstructure and micromagnetic response functions. We validated the scaling property by analyzing experimental data for the magnetic neutron scattering cross section. When plotted as a function of the dimensionless scaled scattering vector q(H)=qlC(H), the field-dependent amplitude-scaled neutron data of nanocrystalline Co and a Nd-Fe-B-based nanocomposite collapse onto a single master curve, demonstrating universal behavior. The scaling length lC provides a framework for analyzing the field-dependent neutron scattering cross section, highlighting the existence of critical length scales that govern the mesoscale microstructure of magnetic materials.

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