Thermal expansion and spontaneous magnetostriction of chromium tellurides

The thermal expansion of ferromagnetic chromium-tellurium (54.5 and 57.1 at.% Te) alloys was measured in the range of temperatures between 4.2 and 370 K. It was found that in the low-temperature range (4.2 to 38 K) the linear thermal expansion coefficient is negative. The quantified spontaneous magnetostriction of the investigated alloys is positive and is in a quadratic relation to the temperature in the range of 0.52 (<=) T/Tsub(c) (<=) 1 (Curie point Tsub(c)=325 K). The data are examined in terms of the Wolfart theory of weak zone ferromagnetism