Temperature Dependence of the Magnetic Compton Profile of Ferrimagnetic HoFe₂

Circularly polarised synchrotron radiation has been used to measure the spin-dependent magnetic Compton profile of the ferromagnet HoFe2 at six temperatures from 10 K to 300 K. The magnetic Compton profiles have been analysed using appropriate free atom Compton profiles and a free electron Compton profile which has allowed the determination of the individual spin moments on the Ho and Fe sites and the diffuse moment; the last two are, to a first approximation, temperature independent. The Ho moment, which is antiferromagnetically coupled to them, reduces by a factor of two across the temperature range, leading to a spin compensation temperature of 210 +/- 10 K. The experiments were performed with 45.9 keV photons at the KEK ARNE-1 station of the Accumulation Ring.