Magnetism of Gadolinium: A First-Principles Perspective

By calculating the spectral density of states in the ferromagnetic ground state and in the high temperature paramagnetic phase we provide the first concise study of finite temperature effects on the electronic structure of the bulk and the surface of gadolinium metal. The variation of calculated spectral properties of the Fermi surface and the density of states in the bulk and at the surface are in good agreement with recent photoemission experiments performed in both ferromagnetic and paramagnetic phases. In the paramagnetic state we find vanishing spin splitting of the conduction band, but finite local spin moments both in bulk and at the surface. We clearly demonstrate that the formation of these local spin moments in the conduction band is due to the asymmetry of the density of states in the two spin channels, suggesting a complex, non-Stoner behavior. We, therefore, suggest that the vanishing or nearly vanishing spin splitting of spectral features cannot be used as an indicator for Stoner-like magnetism.

Covalent magnetism, exchange interactions and anisotropy of the high temperature layered antiferromagnet MnB₂

The investigation of the electronic structure and magnetism for the compound MnB(2) with crystal structure type AlB(2) has been revisited to resolve contradictions between various experimental and theoretical results present in the literature. We find that MnB(2) exhibits an interesting example of a Kübler's covalent magnetism (Williams et al 1981 J. Appl. Phys. 52 2069). The covalent magnetism also appears to be the source of some disagreement between the calculated values of the magnetic moments and those given by neutron diffraction experiments. We show that this shortcoming is due to the atomic sphere approximation applied in earlier calculations. The application of the disordered local moment approach and the calculation of the inter-atomic exchange interactions within the Liechtenstein formalism reveal strong local moment antiferromagnetism with a high Néel temperature predicted from Monte Carlo simulations. A fully relativistic band structure calculation and then the application of the torque method yields a strong in-plane anisotropy of the Mn magnetic moments. The agreement of these results with neutron diffraction studies rules out any possible weak itinerant electron magnetism scenarios as proposed earlier for MnB(2).

YCo2: intrinsic magnetic surface of a paramagnetic bulk material

Here we report on results of a spin-resolved photoelectron spectroscopic (SRPES) study of YCo2 thin films (150 A-thick) grown on a W(110) substrate. The films were prepared by co-deposition of stoichiometric amounts of Y and Co onto a clean W surface followed by thermal annealing leading to (2x2) overstructure with respect to W(110) in the low-energy electron diffraction pattern indicated formation of a structurally ordered YCo2(111) surface. While no clear spin asymmetry was observed for bulk-sensitive SRPES data taken at hnu=1253.6 eV, the more surface-sensitive SRPES data obtained at hnu=21.2 eV photon energy revealed a clear spin-asymmetry probing the validity of the recent theoretical prediction.

Magnetism on the surface of the bulk paramagnetic intermetallic compound YCo2

Using full-potential electronic structure calculations, we predict that the (111) surface of the cubic Laves phase Pauli paramagnet YCo2 is ferromagnetic. The magnetism of the (111) surface is independent of the termination of the surface, does not extend beyond two Co layers, and is related to the field-induced metamagnetism of the bulk. YCo2 appears to be a prominent candidate to demonstrate the phenomenon of surface-induced itinerant magnetism localized in two dimensions.

Large negative magnetic contribution to the thermal expansion in iron-platinum alloys: quantitative theory of the Invar effect

We show that the large negative magnetic contribution to the thermal expansion in disordered Fe-Pt alloys can be understood within the disordered local moment (DLM) approach. On the basis of first principles calculations we quantitatively describe the spontaneous volume magnetostriction for various Pt concentrations. It is found that the Invar effect in these alloys is entirely related to the state of thermal magnetic disorder modeled by the DLM states. We also show that the experimentally observed anomaly in the temperature dependence of the magnetization is due to a spontaneous reduction of the local magnetic moments rather than to "hidden excitations."