Evidence for Strong Electron-Magnon Coupling in Gadolinium

Tunneling spectroscopy measurements on normal state Gd–Gd oxide–Al junctions have been performed. Small deviations from the overall parabolic dependence of conductance on voltage were revealed and analyzed using a theoretical approach, taking into account interactions of tunneling electrons with elementary excitations in the oxide layer and metal electrodes. These processes have been studied by calculating the even and odd conductances that characterize the symmetrical (emission of oxide phonons) and asymmetrical (self-energy effects in electrodes) processes, respectively. It has been found that in gadolinium, one of the simplest magnetic metals known, an interaction of electrons with magnetic excitations is as important as the electron-phonon contribution. This result explains the difference between the calculated electron-phonon coupling parameters and the experimentally derived electron mass enhancement factors in magnetic rare-earth metals.