RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 X-ray Microdiffraction Images of Antiferromagnetic Domain Evolution in Chromium JF Science JO Science FD American Association for the Advancement of Science SP 1042 OP 1045 DO 10.1126/science.1066870 VO 295 IS 5557 A1 Evans, P. G. A1 Isaacs, E. D. A1 Aeppli, G. A1 Cai, Z. A1 Lai, B. YR 2002 UL http://science.sciencemag.org/content/295/5557/1042.abstract AB Magnetic x-ray diffraction combined with x-ray focusing optics was used to image individual antiferromagnetic spin density wave domains in a chromium single crystal at the micron scale. The cross section for nonresonant magnetic x-ray scattering depends on the antiferromagnetic modulation vector and spin polarization direction and allows these quantities to be extracted independently. The technique was used to show that the broadening of the nominally first-order “spin-flip” transition at 123 kelvin, at which the spins rotate by 90°, originates at the walls between domains with orthogonal modulation vectors. During cooling, the transition begins at these walls and progresses inward. The modulation vector domains are themselves unchanged.