Magnetization density distribution in the metallic ferromagnet SrRuO3 determined by polarized neutron diffraction

Abstract

The magnetization-density distribution in the metallic ferromagnet SrRuO3 was studied by means of polarized neutron diffraction. The analyzes by multipole refinements and by the maximum entropy method consistently reveal a strong polarization of all oxygen sites carrying 30% of the total magnetization. The spin-density distribution on the Ru site exhibits a nearly cubic shape in agreement with an almost equal occupation of t2g orbitals and pd hybridization. The experimental analysis is well reproduced by density functional calculations. There is no qualitative change in the magnetization distribution between 2 and 200 K.