Influence of the magnetic state on the chemical order-disorder transition temperature in Fe-Ni permalloy

In magnetic alloys, the effect of finite temperature magnetic excitations on phase stability below the Curie temperature is poorly investigated, although many systems undergo phase transitions in this temperature range. We consider random Ni-rich Fe-Ni alloys, which undergo chemical order-disorder transition approximately 100 K below their Curie temperature, to demonstrate from ab initio calculations that deviations of the global magnetic state from ideal ferromagnetic order due to temperature induced magnetization reduction have a crucial effect on the chemical transition temperature. We propose a scheme where the magnetic state is described by partially disordered local magnetic moments, which in combination with Heisenberg Monte Carlo simulations of the magnetization allows us to reproduce the transition temperature in good agreement with experimental data.     

Ab Initio Study of the Structural,Magnetic, Electronic,and Thermodynamic Properties of Pd<Subscript>2</Subscript>MnZ (Z = Ga,Ge, As) Heusler Alloys

The results of examination of the structural, magnetic, electronic, and thermodynamic properties of Pd₂MnZ (Z = Ga, Ge, As) Heusler alloys obtained in ab initio and Monte Carlo modeling are presented. It is demonstrated that a stable martensitic state is possible for Pd₂MnGa and Pd₂MnAs alloys. The equilibrium lattice parameter increases in the considered series of alloys with the number of valence electrons per atom (e/a). The Curie temperature of Pd₂MnZ (Z = Ga, Ge, As) alloys is determined using the calculated parameters of exchange interaction and total magnetic moments.     

Studies of concentration and temperature dependences of precipitation kinetics in iron-copper alloys using kinetic Monte Carlo and stochastic statistical simulations

The previously developed ab initio model and the kinetic Monte Carlo method (KMCM) are used to simulate precipitation in a number of iron-copper alloys with different copper concentrations x and temperatures T. The same simulations are also made using an improved version of the previously suggested stochastic statistical method (SSM). The results obtained enable us to make a number of general conclusions about the dependences of the decomposition kinetics in Fe-Cu alloys on x and T. We also show that the SSM usually describes the precipitation kinetics in good agreement with the KMCM, and using the SSM in conjunction with the KMCM allows extending the KMC simulations to the longer evolution times. The results of simulations seem to agree with available experimental data for Fe-Cu alloys within statistical errors of simulations and the scatter of experimental results. Comparison of simulation results with experiments for some multicomponent Fe-Cu-based alloys allows making certain conclusions about the influence of alloying elements in these alloys on the precipitation kinetics at different stages of evolution.     

Complex magnetic ordering as a driving mechanism of multifunctional properties of Heusler alloys from first principles

First-principles calculations are used to study the structural, electronic and magnetic properties of (Pd, Pt)-Mn-Ni-(Ga, In, Sn, Sb) alloys, which display multifunctional properties like the magnetic shape-memory, magnetocaloric and exchange bias effect. The ab initio calculations give a basic understanding of the underlying physics which is associated with the complex magnetic behavior arising from competing ferro- and antiferromagnetic interactions with increasing number of Mn excess atoms in the unit cell. This information allows to optimize, for example, the magnetocaloric effect by using the strong influence of compositional changes on the magnetic interactions. Thermodynamic properties can be calculated by using the ab initio magnetic exchange parameters in finite-temperature Monte Carlo simulations. We present guidelines of how to improve the functional properties. For Pt-Ni-Mn-Ga alloys, a shape memory effect with 14% strain can be achieved in an external magnetic field.     

Monte Carlo investigation of the correlation between magnetic and chemical ordering in NiFe alloys

The Ni_xFe_1−x alloys close to the stoichiometric Ni₃Fe composition are modeled by means of Monte Carlo simulations. To describe the atomic and magnetic configurations, the Ising and Heisenberg models with nearest-neighbor interactions have been used, respectively. The pairwise interactions have been fitted to the experimentally measured Curie and Kurnakov temperatures, the Fe-Fe magnetic exchange interaction has been considered antiferromagnetic. The mutual influence of the magnetic and chemical ordering is evidenced and a good agreement with the phase diagram is obtained. Our numerical results show that the magnetic order is able to increase the Kurnakov temperature and, reciprocally, the chemical order is responsible for a rise in the Curie temperature. Also, the influence of the applied magnetic field on the chemical order is investigated and an increase of the Kurnakov temperature with the external field is observed.     

Optimization of the magnetocaloric effect in Ni-Mn-In alloys: A theoretical study

Based on ab initio and Monte Carlo simulations, we study the influence of the strength of the magnetic exchange parameters on the inverse and conventional magnetocaloric effect in the Ni₅₀Mn₃₄In₁₆ Heusler alloy using the mixed Potts and Blume-Emery-Griffiths model Hamiltonian. Within the proposed model, the temperature dependences of the magnetization, tetragonal deformation, and adiabatic temperature changes for magnetic field variation are obtained. It is first shown that a decrease in the magnetic exchange interactions leads to increased values of the magnetocaloric effect. We suppose that a reduction of the exchange interactions in the Ni-Mn-In alloy can be realized by the doping with nonmagnetic atoms such as B, Si, Zn, Cu, etc.     

Structural and magnetic properties of Cr1+x(Se1−yTey)2 compounds

The structural and magnetic properties of Cr_1+x(Se_1−yTe_y)₂ having a NiAs structure has been studied for (1+x)=1.27, 1.32 and 1.36 and y=0.75 by means of the Korringa-Kohn-Rostoker (KKR) band structure method. The sub-stoichiometry and the disorder on the chalcogenide sub-lattice has been treated by means of the coherent potential approximation (CPA) alloy theory. From total energy calculations a preferential site occupation on the Cr sub-lattice was found together with an antiparallel alignment of the magnetic moments on the two inequivalent Cr layers. The magnetic properties at finite temperature has been studied by means of Monte Carlo simulations on the basis of a classical Heisenberg Hamiltonian and the exchange coupling parameters calculated from first principles. This approach allowed to determine the critical temperature in good agreement with experiment.     

Lattice distortions near impurity atoms in α-Fe<Subscript>1−<Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>Si<Subscript>x</Subscript> alloys

Lattice distortions near impurity atoms in α-Fe_1?x Si_x alloys (x≈0.05–0.06) are studied both experimentally using x-ray diffraction and theoretically by means of ab initio calculations. It is found that the distortions are more complex than experimental data suggest. The displacements of atoms near impurities are not determined by the concentration dependence of the average lattice constant nor by a difference in the ion radii.     

NixPt1−x/Rh(111): A stable surface alloy with enhanced magnetic moments

We have performed ab initio density functional theory calculations to investigate the miscibility and magnetic properties of pseudomorphically grown monolayers of Ni_xPt_1?x surface alloys on a Rh(111) substrate. We find that the formation of this alloy is energetically favored over phase-segregated forms, and its magnetic moment is also enhanced. A significant contribution to this enhanced magnetic moment is found to come from the induced moments on the otherwise non-magnetic elements Pt and Rh. A low concentration of Ni gives rise to a high magnetic moment per Ni atom. We find that a low effective coordination and a high non-spin-polarized density of states at the Fermi level are responsible for these enhanced moments.     

Magnetic moments and hyperfine magnetic fields in ordered and disordered quasi-binary Fe<Subscript>75</Subscript>(Si<Subscript>1−<Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>Ge<Subscript>x</Subscript>)<Subscript>25</Subscript> alloys

Disordered and DO₃ type-ordered Fe₇₅(Si_1?xGe_x)₂₅ alloys are fabricated and investigated using x-ray diffraction, Mössbauer spectroscopy, and magnetic measurements. The variations in the magnetic and Mössbauer characteristics are interpreted using ab initio calculations of the electronic structure, magnetic moments, hyperfine magnetic fields, and isomer shifts. The main differences in the properties are related to the increase in the crystal lattice parameter when Si is replaced by Ge in ordered alloys and to a different behavior of the correlations in the Si and Ge positions in disordered alloys.     

Magnetic and electronic properties of Mn2Sn thin films: First-principles calculations and high temperature series expansions

In this paper, first-principles calculations have been performed in order to study the electronic and magnetic properties of the bulk and the (0 0 1) surface of Mn₂Sn thin films using self-consistent ab initio calculations, based on the density functional theory approach and using the product of the muffin-tin radius and the maximum reciprocal space vector, R_MT. K_max, we full potential linear augmented plane wave methods. Spin-polarized calculations within the framework of density-functional theory are a powerful tool for describing the magnetism of itinerant electrons in solid state materials. The total and partial density of states of Mn₂Sn thin films were calculated. The magnetic moments considered to lie along the c axes are computed. The data obtained from the ab initio calculations are used as an input for the high temperature series expansions calculations used to compute other magnetic parameters. The critical temperature and exchange interactions between the magnetic atoms in the Mn₂Sn thin films are obtained using high temperature series expansions and mean field theory, respectively.     

Thermal collapse of spin polarization in half-metallic ferromagnets

We propose two novel approaches to study the temperature dependence of the magnetization and the spin polarization at the Fermi level in magnetic compounds, and apply them to half-metallic ferromagnets. We reveal a new mechanism, where the hybridization of states forming the half-metallic gap depends on thermal spin fluctuations and the polarization can drop abruptly at temperatures much lower than the Curie point. We verify this for NiMnSb by ab initio calculations. The thermal properties are studied by mapping ab initio results to an extended Heisenberg model which includes longitudinal fluctuations and is solved by a Monte Carlo method.     

Ab initio and anion photoelectron studies of Rhn (n = 1 − 9) clusters

We present an analysis of Na-He collisional profiles at high density and very low temperature in a unified line shape semi-classical theory which contains the impact as well the quasistatic limits. Clearly understanding the variation of shape of the two fine-structure components of the 3s?3p line with increasing helium density allows us to understand experimental spectra of a Na atom attached to He nanodroplets. We compare our collisional approach to path integral Monte Carlo calculations using the same ab initio Na-He molecular potentials.     

Ab initio calculations of the stability and structural defects of the <Emphasis Type="Italic">B</Emphasis>2 Cu<Subscript>x</Subscript>Fe<Subscript>1−<Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>Al phases

The stability of the B2 Cu_xFe_1?x Al phases and the energy of defect formation are studied using ab initio band calculations. For B2 Cu_xFe_1?x Al alloys, vacancies in the 3d-metal sublattice and configurations with the minimum number of Fe-Cu bonds in the first coordination shell (including Fe antisite defects, which have a high local magnetic moment) are most stable. Complicated defect complexes with vacancies and displaced atoms, which are close to the atomic configurations of vacancy-ordered AlCu phases, can exist near the composition Cu_0.875Fe_0.125Al.     

Synthesis, structure, and magnetic properties of anion-substituted manganese chalcogenides

The anion-substituted solid solutions of the MnSe_{1 t x} Te _x system have been synthesized. The crystal structure and magnetic properties of the synthesized solid solutions have been investigated. It has been shown that, in the concentration range 0 ?? x ?? 0.4, the solid solutions have a face-centered cubic structure. It has been revealed that an increase in the concentration of the substituting element in the MnSe_{1 ? x} Te _x system leads to an increase in the coefficient of thermal expansion of the sample. The investigation of the magnetic properties has been carried out at temperatures in the range 80 K < T < 1000 K in a magnetic field up to 8.6 kOe. It has been experimentally found that the type of antiferromagnetic order (the second type of ordering) remains unchanged over the entire concentration range up to x = 0.4 and that the paramagnetic Curie temperature and the Néel temperature decrease within the limits of 20%. Theoretical calculations have been performed using the Monte Carlo method, and the model of nanoclusters with an uncompensated antiferromagnetic moment has been proposed.     

Effect of the Structural Disorder and Short-Range Order on the Electronic Structure and Magnetic Properties of the Fe<Subscript>2</Subscript>VAl Heusler Alloy

The Fe₂VAl Heusler alloy is of great interest because ab initio calculations predict the absence of magnetization in it and a half-metal behavior with a pseudogap at the Fermi level. At the same time, experimental data (low-temperature specific heat, electrical resistivity, and magnetic properties) show that it is difficult to achieve such characteristics, and Fe₂VAl samples usually have the characteristics of a poor magnetic metal. Ab initio calculations have been performed for ordered and disordered (Fe_1–xV _x )₃Al Heusler alloys with x = 0.33. It has been shown that the alloy in a structurally ordered state (L2₁ structure) is a half-metal with a deep pseudogap at the Fermi level and does not have magnetization. At the same time, antisite defects in the iron and vanadium sublattices of the disordered alloy (D0₃ structure) lead to an increase in the conductivity and to the appearance of spin polarization and magnetization of (2.1±0.1)μ_B/f.u. The short-range order in the disordered phase has been generated by increasing the concentration of clusters characteristic of the bcc structure of α-Fe, which results in an increase in the magnetization to (2.5±0.1)μ_B/f.u.     

First-principles and Monte Carlo combinational study on Zn1−xCoxO diluted magnetic semiconductor

The electronic structures and magnetic properties of Zn_1−xCo_xO (x=5.55%,8.33%,12.5%) are studied using first-principles calculations in combination with Monte Carlo (MC) simulation. The combinational method makes possible a complete simulation from the microscopic magnetic interaction to macroscopic magnetic behavior. The calculated results from first principles indicate that the ferromagnetic ground state is stabilized by a half-metallic electronic structure which originates from the strong hybridization between Co 3d electrons and O 2p electrons. With the magnetic coupling strengths obtained from first-principles calculations, the MC simulation predicts the ferromagnetism of Zn_1−xCo_xO (x=5.55%,8.33%,12.5%) with , which is consistent with the experimental facts.     

Disorder induced core photoelectron linewidth broadening in AgPd alloys

High resolution core level photoelectron spectra for a series of Ag_xPd_1−x alloys have been measured and reveal a large “disorder broadening” effect. A comparison of measurements of this effect for three alloy systems, Ag_xPd_1−x, Cu_xPd_1−x and Cu_xZn_1−x, with results of ab initio calculations is presented. Poor agreement is obtained and possible reasons for this observation are discussed.     

Co1-xMnx合金电子结构和磁性的理论研究

Co_1-xMn_x合金的磁性强烈地依赖于其结构以及Mn的相对含量.从第一性原理出发,用线性缀加平面波(LAPW)方法,分别计算了x=0.00,0.25,0.50,0.75,1.00的情况下,面心立方(fcc)和体心立方(bcc)结构的Co_1-xMn_x合金的电子结构和基态磁性.随x的增大,fcc结构的Co_1-xMn_x合金的磁性从铁磁性和亚铁磁性变为反铁磁性;bcc结构Co相似文献