Magnetism and Structure in Metallic Multilayers

The interplay between magnetism and structure has been studied in magnetic multilayers by electronic structure calculations based on density functional theory and analyzed in terms of models. The main ideas behind the Korringa-Kohn-Rostocker Green’s function method are described and the implementation of the coherent potential approximation is outlined. A simple model for the bilinear magnetic interlayer coupling in metallic multilayers is derived that elucidates the main characteristics of the effect such as coupling period and origin of damping. An analysis of two exotic effects on the magnetic interlayer coupling, Fermi surface nesting and magnetic enhancement is also performed. The Fermi surface nesting in CuPd for the (110) direction is shown to induce a sharp peak in the magnetic interlayer coupling amplitude for a Fe/CuPd/Fe system when the Cu concentration is 60% in the CuPd alloy. The high magnetic susceptibility in Pd is shown to have strong influence on the magnetic interlayer coupling in a Fe/Pd/Fe (100) system where it changes the amplitude, phase and induces an offset. The relation between surface structure and magnetic properties in metallic multilayers is investigated in terms of a theory that is based on a symbiosis between experiment and theory. By calculating the total magnetic moment of a sample for a large range of possible interface structures and comparing to experimental results for equivalent samples a parameter that describes the interface structure is determined. This parameter is then shown to be universal for the particular combination of elements in the structure both as regards the calculated total magnetic moment as well as the magnetic interlayer coupling and the critical temperatures