Magnetic Anisotropy of Deposited Transition Metal Clusters

TL;DR

This paper uses a relativistic computational approach to study magnetic anisotropy in small transition metal clusters on a platinum surface, providing stable and efficient calculations that align well with experimental data.

Contribution

It introduces a numerically stable and computationally efficient method for calculating magnetic anisotropy energy in deposited transition metal clusters.

Findings

The approach is more stable and less demanding than the magnetic force theorem.

Results agree reasonably well with recent experimental data.

Structural relaxation effects were not included in the study.

Abstract

We present results of magnetic torque calculations using the fully relativistic spin-polarized Korringa-Kohn-Rostoker approach applied to small Co and Fe clusters deposited on the Pt(111) surface. From the magnetic torque one can derive among others the magnetic anisotropy energy (MAE). It was found that this approach is numerically much more stable and also computationally less demanding than using the magnetic force theorem that allows to calculate the MAE directly. Although structural relaxation effects were not included our results correspond reasonably well to recent experimental data.