Resonant soft x-ray magnetic scattering from the 4f and 3d electrons in Dy Fe4 Al8: Magnetic interactions in a cycloidal antiferromagnet

Soft x-ray resonant scattering has been used to examine the charge and magnetic interactions in the cycloidal antiferromagnetic compound Dy Fe4 Al8. By tuning to the Dy M4 and M5 absorption edges and the Fe L2 and L3 absorption edges, we can directly observe the behavior of the Dy 4f and Fe 3d electron shells. Magnetic satellites surrounding the (110) Bragg peak were observed below 65 K. The diffraction peaks display complex spectra at the Dy M5 edge, indicative of a split 4f electron band. This is in contrast to the simple resonance observed at the Fe L3 absorption edge, which probes the Fe 3d electron shell. Temperature-dependent measurements detail the ordering of the magnetic moments on both the iron and the dysprosium antiferromagnetic cycloids. The ratio between the superlattice peak intensities of the Dy M4 and M5 absorption edges remained constant throughout the temperature range, in contrast to a previous study conducted at the Dy L2,3 edges. Our results demonstrate the ability of soft x-ray diffraction to separate the individual magnetic components in complicated multielement magnetic structures.