Exchange coupling and magnetization profiles of binary and ternary magnetic multilayers

TL;DR

This paper uses ab initio calculations to analyze the magnetic interactions and profiles in binary and ternary multilayers composed of transition metals, focusing on exchange coupling and magnetic moments.

Contribution

It provides detailed insights into the magnetic properties and exchange interactions in multilayers of Fe, Co, Ni, Cr, V, and Cu, highlighting the sensitivity of Ni and the polarization behavior of V.

Findings

Ni is highly sensitive to its neighboring atoms.

V becomes strongly polarized near Fe interfaces.

V remains nonpolarized in interior layers.

Abstract

Within a spin-polarized LMTO approach in the Atomic-Sphere approximation we calculate ab initio the magnetic properties of various binary and ternary multilayers composed of Fe, Co, Ni, Cr, V and Cu. The emphasis lies on the indirect exchange interaction of the magnetic sandwiches across the antiferromagnetic or non-magnetic spacers, and on the profiles of the intrinsic resp. induced magnetic moments. Among other results we find: (i) that Ni is very sensitive on its neighborhood and that (ii) at the interface to Fe, V gets almost as strongly polarized as Cr, whereas in the interiour layers, the V sandwich remains nonpolarized.