The Fermi Surface Effect on Magnetic Interlayer Coupling

TL;DR

This paper investigates how the Fermi surface nesting influences magnetic interlayer coupling in Fe/CuPd alloys using first principles calculations, revealing new effects on amplitude, phase, and decay.

Contribution

It establishes, for the first time from first principles, the impact of Fermi surface nesting strength on the amplitude of magnetic coupling.

Findings

Fermi surface nesting affects coupling amplitude

Phase and decay vary unexpectedly with Fermi surface features

Results align with and extend RKKY theory insights

Abstract

The oscillating magnetic interlayer coupling of Fe over spacer layers consisting of Cu$_{x}$Pd$_{1-x}$ alloys is investigated by first principles density functional theory. The amplitude, period and phase of the coupling, as well as the disorder-induced decay, are analyzed in detail and the consistency to the Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yoshida (RKKY) theory is discussed. For the first time an effect of the Fermi surface nesting strength on the amplitude is established from first principles calculations. An unexpected variation of the phase and disorder-induced decay is obtained and the results are discussed in terms of asymptotics.