The Temperature Dependence of Magnetostriction in Polycrystalline Gadolinium

The magnetostriction and magnetization of an ellipsoid of polycrystalline gadolinium have been measured in the temperature range 78°K to 365°K. The results show that gadolinium has a large volume magnetostriction which is proportional to the square of the paramagnetic magnetization above the Curie point. The saturation magnetostriction shows an anomaly at 150°K, and becomes zero at 233°K. The contribution of the volume magnetostriction to the thermal expansion of gadolinium is shown to be too small to account for the thermal expansion anomaly.