4 research outputs found
Giant magnetic enhancement in Fe/Pd films and its influence on the magnetic interlayer coupling
The magnetic properties of thin Pd fcc(001) films with embedded monolayers of
Fe are investigated by means of first principles density functional theory. The
induced spin polarization in Pd is calculated and analyzed in terms of quantum
interference within the Fe/Pd/Fe bilayer system. An investigation of the
magnetic enhancement effects on the spin polarization is carried out and its
consequences for the magnetic interlayer coupling are discussed. In contrast to
{\it e.g.} the Co/Cu fcc(001) system we find a large effect on the magnetic
interlayer coupling due to magnetic enhancement in the spacer material. In the
case of a single embedded Fe monolayer we find aninduced Pd magnetization
decaying with distance from the magnetic layer as ~ with
. For the bilayer system we find a giant magnetic
enhancement (GME) that oscillates strongly due to interference effects. This
results in a strongly modified magnetic interlayer coupling, both in phase and
magnitude, which may not be described in the pure
Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yoshida (RKKY) picture. No anti-ferromagnetic coupling
was found and by comparison with magnetically constrained calculations we show
that the overall ferromagnetic coupling can be understood from the strong
polarization of the Pd spacer