Resonant soft x-ray magnetic scattering from the 4f and 3d electrons in DyFe₄Al₈: Magnetic interactions in a cycloidal antiferromagnet

Soft x-ray resonant scattering has been used to examine the charge and magnetic interactions in the cycloidal antiferromagnetic compound DyFe₄Al₈. By tuning to the Dy M₄ and M₅ absorption edges and the Fe L₂ and L₃ absorption edges, we can directly observe the behavior of the Dy 4f and Fe 3d electron shells. Magnetic satellites surrounding the (110) Bragg peak were observed below 65 K. The diffraction peaks display complex spectra at the Dy M₅ edge, indicative of a split 4f electron band. This is in contrast to the simple resonance observed at the Fe L₃ absorption edge, which probes the Fe 3d electron shell. Temperature-dependent measurements detail the ordering of the magnetic moments on both the iron and the dysprosium antiferromagnetic cycloids. The ratio between the superlattice peak intensities of the Dy M₄ and M₅ absorption edges remained constant throughout the temperature range, in contrast to a previous study conducted at the Dy L_2,3 edges. Our results demonstrate the ability of soft x-ray diffraction to separate the individual magnetic components in complicated multielement magnetic structures.