A NEUTRON DIFFRACTION SEARCH FOR A CHARGE DENSITY WAVE IN POTASSIUM METAL

Overhauser's charge-density-wave (CDW) electronic ground state in the alkali metals should be most directly observed by the detection of satellite reflections in the diffraction process. We have carried out neutron single-crystal experiments on potassium metal at 4.2° K which indicate this effect to be less than 15 per cent of the predicted value, provided that a single-Q CDW state was achieved by the 19 kG field in our crystal. © 1969.