de Haas-van Alphen effect
[də¦häs ‚van′äl·fən i‚fekt] (solid-state physics)
An effect occurring in many complex metals at low temperatures, consisting of a periodic variation in the diamagnetic susceptibility of conduction electrons with changes in the component of the applied magnetic field at right angles to the principal axis of the crystal.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.
De Haas-Van Alphen Effect
an oscillating dependence of the magnetic susceptibility x of metals on the strength of the magnetic field H observed at temperatures near absolute zero. It was discovered by W. J. de Haas and P. M. van Alphen in 1930. In describing the de Haas-van Alphen effect, just as for the Shubnikov-de Haas effect, it is convenient to regard the dependence on 1/H rather than on H (Figure 1). The amplitude of the oscillations decreases with an increase in temperature. The oscillation period is related to the area of the extreme sections of the Fermi surface; consequently, the study of the de Haas-van Alphen effect makes it possible to obtain information about the shape of the surface.
Figure 1. Magnetic permeability of zinc as a function of 1/H at 4.2°K
The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.