Neutron powder diffraction studies at BARC

Abstract

The neutron powder diffractometer located at the Dhruva reactor, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), has been in operation for more than a decade. It is equipped with a one meterlong linear Position Sensitive Detector (PSD) with a spatial resolution of 6 mm. The PSD covers an angular range of 30° at a time and, can record data up to a scattering angle of 120° with a resolution (Δd/d) of 1.3% (λ = 1.094Å) over a temperature range of 10–600 K. used for studying magnetic ordering and structural phase transitions in variety of systems. These studies include ferrites having disordered magnetic ordering, manganites showing CMR behavior, cobaltates showing coexistence of ferro- and antiferromagnetism, titanates and zirconates exhibiting ferro/anti-ferroelectric properties, and alloys of transition metals, rare-earths, and actinides (UCu₂Ge₂ErFe₂D_x etc.) showing exotic magnetic properties, amongst others. Here we present some of the results elucidating the potential of the instrument.