Magnetoresistance of ferromagnetic metals and alloys at low temperatures

Abstract The magnetoresistance of pure Ni and Fe, of Ni-Fe-, Ni-Co, and Ni-Cu- alloys, and of Heusler's alloy has been measured at room temperature and at temperatures of liquid nitrogen and liquid hydrogen. The behaviour of the pure metals is essentially different from that of the alloys. At low temperatures a maximum in the magnetoresistance is observed for alloys having about one Bohr magneton per atom. The positive difference between the longitudinal and the transversal resistance can be explained by means of the spin-orbit interaction. At low temperatures the pure metals show an increase in resistance with increasing field just as the non-ferromagnetic metals. From this the value of the internal field, acting on the conduction electrons, could be determined, and was found to be approximately equal to the induction B.