  We report the growth of large single-crystals of Cu2MnAl, a ferromagnetic
Heusler compound suitable for polarizing neutron monochromators, by means of
optical floating zone under ultra-high vacuum compatible conditions. Unlike
Bridgman or Czochralsky grown Cu2MnAl, our floating zone grown single-crystals
show highly reproducible magnetic properties and an excellent crystal quality
with a narrow and homogeneous mosaic spread as examined by neutron diffraction.
An investigation of the polarizing properties in neutron scattering suggests a
high polarization efficiency, limited by the relatively small sample dimensions
studied. Our study identifies optical floating zone under ultra-high vacuum
compatible conditions as a highly reproducible method to grow high-quality
single-crystals of Cu2MnAl.

Materials Science;Strongly Correlated Electrons;Instrumentation and Detectors