Néel temperature

physics

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July 1, 2026

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The N\u00e9el temperature is the point at which certain magnetic materials, specifically antiferromagnetic ones, undergo a significant change in their magnetic properties. Below this temperature, the atomic magnets within the material spontaneously align in opposite directions, canceling each other out and resulting in very little external magnetism.12

This phenomenon was explained by French physicist Louis N\u00e9el, after whom the temperature is named. When the material is heated to its N\u00e9el temperature, this ordered antiparallel alignment is disrupted. Above this temperature, thermal agitation prevents the atoms from aligning, and the material exhibits only weak magnetic behavior, known as paramagnetism. The N\u00e9el temperature is characteristic of each specific antiferromagnetic material.132

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Curie point
…Curie point is called the Néel temperature in honour of the French physicist Louis Néel, who in 1936 successfully explained antiferromagnetism.
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…Curie point is called the Néel temperature in honour of the French physicist Louis Néel, who in 1936 successfully explained antiferromagnetism.
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Basic types of magnetization
Above a temperature called the Néel temperature, thermal motions destroy the antiparallel arrangement, and the material then becomes paramagnetic. Spin-canted (anti)ferromagnetism is a special condition which occurs when antiparallel magnetic moments are deflected from the antiferromagnetic plane, resulting in a weak net magnetism. Hematite (α-Fe₂O₃) is such a material.
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Above a temperature called the Néel temperature, thermal motions destroy the antiparallel arrangement, and the material then becomes paramagnetic. Spin-canted (anti)ferromagnetism is a special condition which occurs when antiparallel magnetic moments are deflected from the antiferromagnetic plane, resulting in a weak net magnetism. Hematite (α-Fe₂O₃) is such a material.
Read More