Magnetic structure of erbium

A synchrotron X-ray scattering study of the magnetic phases of Er is presented. In addition to the magnetic scattering located at the fundamental wave vector tau sub m , scattering from magnetoelastically induced charge modulations at the fundamental wave vector, at twice the fundamental, and at positions split symmetrically about the fundamental was also observed. As the temperature is lowered < 52K the charge and magnetic scattering display a sequence of lock-in transitions to rational wave vectors. A spin--slip description of the magnetic structure is presented which explains the wave vectors of the additional charge scattering. 15 ref.--AA