Crystal Structure of Antiferromagnetic NiO Determined by X-Ray Topography

Abstract

Spontaneous magnetostriction of NiO, which consists of two strain components, is reexamined in detail by Berg-Barrett method. The strain components thus determined are e x ' x ' -e y ' y ' =-5.4×10 -4 and e z ' x ' =0.91×10 -4 , respectively. These values are a few times as large as those found previously by Yamada et al. and their signs are in agreement with those expected theoretically. A precise crystal structure with monoclinic symmetry and a corresponding magnetic symmetry has been deduced from the experimental results.