A General Maximum-Entropy Method for Model-Free Reconstructions of Magnetization Densities from Polarized Neutron Diffraction Data

A general method for the model-free reconstruction of magnetization densities is presented. The technique is based upon the maximum-entropy principle and is valid for systems with any space-group symmetry, any physically reasonable ordered moment and allows for the incorporation of relevant corrections such as extinction. Thus, it is possible, for the first time, to reconstruct the real-space magnetization densities in essentially any physical system exhibiting a ferromagnetic spin alignment (either natural or induced) from polarized neutron diffraction experiments. The technique is illustrated for the purely organic ferromagnet, β-4,4,5,5-tetramethyl-2-p-(nitrophenyl)-3-oxido-4,5-dihydroimidazolium 1-oxyl.