High magnetic field x-ray diffraction study of the α phase of solid oxygen: Absence of giant magnetostriction

High magnetic field x-ray diffraction experiments of solid oxygen have been performed at 10 K using DC magnetic fields of up to 5 T as well as pulsed magnetic fields of up to 25 T. The α phase of oxygen exhibits no magnetostriction greater than d/d = 10 −4 at 5 T, where d and d denote a lattice plane spacing and its magnetic field variation, respectively. The d/d at higher fields of up to 25 T is found to be smaller than 2×10 −3 . These results contradict the previously reported giant magnetostriction in the α phase where the volume magnetostriction V/V reaches 10 −2 at 7.5 T.