Eur. Phys. J. B 21, 357-361 (2001)
https://doi.org/10.1007/s100510170178

Phonon dispersion of bcc cerium

¹ Physik Department E13, Technische Universität München, 85747 Garching, Germany
² Centre de Recherche sur les Très Basses Températures, 38042 Grenoble, France
³ Institut Laue-Langevin, 38042 Grenoble Cedex, France

Corresponding author: ^a wpetry@ph.tum.de

Received: 24 January 2001
Published online: 15 June 2001

Abstract

The phonon dispersion of the high temperature bcc or δ-phase of cerium has been measured by inelastic neutron scattering, growing the single crystals in situ on the spectrometer. The phonon dispersion shows a characteristic valley of low energy and strongly damped phonons along T and T. From that the physical origin of the bcc-to-fcc martensitic phase transition is deduced. A mechanism involving long wavelength phonons is proposed.