Crystal Lattice Changes Induced by Magnetic Field and Helifan Structure in Holmium Metal

An X-ray diffraction study has been made on holmium metal in a magnetic field at several temperatures. In most cases, the c-lattice parameter has been observed to change discontinuously with increasing magnetic field, corresponding to the appearance of various magnetic structures. The result or numerical calculations hy a self-consistent mean field method suggests that the effect of the helifan structure on the crystal lattice has been observed in a narrow range of magnetic field.