A torque magnetometer using strain gauges as transducers

A short critical history of magnetometer; suitable for the measurement of magnetocrystalline anisotropy constants, is presented as an introduction for the necessity of having a new type of magnetometer capable of measuring the large anisotropies associated with the heavy rare earth elements, and particularly for work on the gadolinium - terbium binary alloy system. An instrument has been developed which is compact and rugged with good stability and sensitivity, and is able to make measurements of anisotropy constants (using crystals of a convenient size) having values in the range 10(^5) to 10(^9) erg cm(^-3). A modification is indicated which will extend this range to 10(^3) to 10(^9) erg cm (^-3).