On the Ising character of the quantum-phase transition in LiHoF\u3csub\u3e4\u3c/sub\u3e

It is investigated how a transverse magnetic field affects the quantum-mechanical character of LiHoF4, a system generally considered as a textbook example for an Ising-like quantum-phase transition. In small magnetic fields, the low-temperature behavior of the ions is Ising-like, involving the nearly degenerate low-lying Jz = ± 8 doublet. However, as the transverse field increases, there is a substantial admixture of states having | Jz | \u3c 8. Near the quantum-phase-transition field, the system is distinctively non-Ising like, and all Jz eigenstates yield ground-state contributions of comparable magnitude. A classical analog to this mechanism is the micromagnetic single point in magnets with uniaxial anisotropy. Since Ho3+ has J = 8, the ion’s behavior is reminiscent of the classical limit (J = ∞), but quantum corrections remain clearly visible

Exact nucleation modes in arrays of magnetic particles

Magnetization reversal in arrays of magnetic nanoparticles with perpendicular anisotropy is investigated. Aside from domain-wall propagation effects, the reversal involves two main aspects: the nucleation behavior of individual particles and interparticle interactions. Due to magnetostatic self-interaction effects, the interparticle interaction cannot be reduced to a stray-field correction to the external field. Exact nucleation fields and explicit stray-field and self-interaction contributions are obtained for rings of equidistant dots. An exact treatment of self-interactions in various structurally inhomogeneous but rotationally symmetric wire, sphere, and thin-film nanostructures leads to renormalization of the uniaxial anisotropy. Finally, an approximate method to calculate nucleation fields is discussed

Immobilization diffusion in R\u3csub\u3e2\u3c/sub\u3eFe\u3csub\u3e17\u3c/sub\u3e nitrides

The diffusion of nitrogen in R2Fe17 intermetallics is investigated by an approach which reconciles the solid-solution and immobilization theories of nitrogen diffusion. It turns out that two-sublattice diffusions may yield sharp concentration profiles but leave the phase structure of the nitride unchanged. Beside the reaction time and a local relaxation time there exists a global relaxation time which governs the smoothing of concentration gradients. Due to the large number of unknown energy parameters involved it is difficult to make quantitative predictions, but in general the diffusion behavior depends on factors such as the use of N2 or NH3 as a nitrogen source

Curie temperature of multiphase nanostructures

The Curie temperature and the local spontaneous magnetization of ferromagnetic nanocomposites are investigated. The macroscopic character of the critical fluctuations responsible for the onset of ferromagnetic order means that there is only one Curie temperature, independent of the number of magnetic phases present. The Curie temperature increases with the grain size and is, in general, larger than predicted from the volume averages of the exchange constants. However, the Curie-temperature enhancement is accompanied by a relative reduction of the spontaneous magnetization. Due to the quadratic dependence of the permanent-magnet energy product on the spontaneous magnetization, this amounts to a deterioration of the magnets performance. The length scale on which an effective intergranular exchange coupling is realized (coupling length) depends on the Curie-temperature difference between the phases and on the spacial distribution of the local interatomic exchange. As a rule, it is of the order of a few interatomic distances; for much bigger grain sizes the structures mimic an interaction-free ensemble of different ferromagnetic materials. This must be compared to the magnetic-anisotropy coupling length, which is of the order of 10 nm. The difference is explained by the nonrelativistic character of the Curie-temperature problem

Controlling the magnetocrystalline anisotropy of E-Fe2O3

The magnetocrystalline anisotropy of pristine and Co-substituted ε-Fe2O3 is investigated by density functional calculations. The epsilon-iron oxide is the only polymorph of Fe2O3 magnetoelectric in its antiferromagnetic ground states other crystalline forms being α-Fe2O3 (hematite), β-Fe2O3, and γ-Fe2O3 (maghemite). The magnetizations of the four iron sublattices are antiferromagnetically aligned with slightly different magnetic moments resulting in a ferrimagnetic structure. Compared to the naturally occurring hematite and maghemite, bulk ε-Fe2O3 is difficult to prepare, but ε-Fe2O3 nanomaterials of different geometries and feature sizes have been fabricated. A coercivity of 20 kOe [2 T] was reported in nanocomposites of ε-Fe2O3, and an upper bound for the magnetic anisotropy constant Kat a low temperature of ε-Fe2O3 is previously measured to be 0.1 MJ/m3. In the Co-substituted oxides, one octahedral or tetrahedral Fe atom per unit cell has been replaced by Co. The cobalt substitution substantially enhances magnetization and anisotropy

Magnetically Ordered Transition-Metal-Intercalated WSe\u3csub\u3e2\u3c/sub\u3e

Introducing magnetic behavior in nonmagnetic transition metal dichalcogenides is essential to broaden their applications in spintronic and nanomagnetic devices. In this article, we investigate the electronic and magnetic properties of transition-metal-intercalated tungsten diselenide (WSe2) using density functional theory. We find that intercalation compounds with composition of T1/4WSe2 (T is an ironseries transition-metal atom) exhibit substantial magnetic moments and pronounced ferromagnetic order for late transition metals. The densities of states of the T atoms and the magnetic moments on the W sites indicate that the moments of the intercalated atoms become more localized with increasing atomic number. A large perpendicular magnetocrystalline anisotropy of about 9 meV per supercell has been found for Fe1/4WSe2. Furthermore, using mean field theory, we estimated high Curie temperatures of 660, 475, and 379 K for Cr, Mn, and Fe, respectively. The predicted magnetic properties suggest that WSe2 may have applications in spin electronics and nanomagnetic devices

Atomic and micromagnetic aspects of L10 magnetism

Atomic and continuum effects in L10 magnets are investigated. Emphasis is on the competition between ferromagnetism, antiferromagnetism, and noncollinear order in both perfect and imperfect structures, and on the temperature dependence of the magnetic anisotropy. The applicability of micromagnetic and atomistic approaches depends on the length scales involved, but there is a broad range of phenomena where both can be used

Finite-Temperature Anisotropy of PtCo Magnets

The temperature dependence of the magnetocrystalline anisotropy of PtCo and its atomic origin are investigated by first-principle and model calculations. The Pt spin moment necessary to realize the leading 5d anisotropy contribution is due to neighboring Co atoms. At finite temperatures, Co spin disorder strongly reduces the Pt moment and the anisotropy. This is in contrast to the situation encountered in 3d and 3d–4f magnets, where the atomic magnetic moments remain largely conserved, even above the Curie temperature. A consequence of the L10 mechanism is that theK1 (T) curve of exhibits a negative curvature, in contrast to the unfavorable positive curvature for rare-earth transition-metal magnet

Crystal field in nitrogenated rare-earth intermetallics

The crystal-field in Sm2Fe17N3- δ and Sm(Fe11Ti)N1- δ due to interstitial nitrogen has been investigated. Intrinsic parametrization in the superposition model allows separation of the crystal field created by a neighboring nitrogen atom from a purely geometrical factor, which is different for Sm2Fe17N3- δ and Sm( Fe11Ti) N1- δ Using published magnetic data, values for the intrinsic parameter A2 per nitrogen atom of A2=200± 60 Ka0-2 and A2=270±60 Ka0-2 for Sm2Fe17N3- δ and Sm(Fe11Ti)N1- δ, respectively, are obtained. Because of charge penetration, which is discussed in the form of an explicit crystal-field weight function, it is not possible to interpret A20 or à 2 as crystal-field parameters independent of the 4f ion