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We propose a new efficient permanent magnet, SmCoNiFe3, which is a development of the well-known SmCo5 prototype. More modern neodymium magnets of the Nd-Fe-B type have an advantage over SmCo5 because of their greater maximum energy products due to their iron-rich stoichiometry. Our new magnet, however, removes most of this disadvantage of SmCo5 while preserving its superior high-temperature efficiency over the neodymium magnets. We show by means of first-principles electronic-structure calculations that SmCoNiFe3 has very favorable magnetic properties and could therefore potentially replace SmCo5 or Nd-Fe-B types in various applications.

We here present a code for performing analytic continuation of fermionic Green’s functions and self-energies as well as bosonic susceptibilities on a graphics processing unit (GPU). The code is based on the sampling method introduced by Mishchenko et al. (2000), and is written for the widely used CUDA platform from NVidia. Detailed scaling tests are presented, for two different GPUs, in order to highlight the advantages of this code with respect to standard CPU computations. Finally, as an example of possible applications, we provide the analytic continuation of model Gaussian functions, as well as more realistic test cases from many-body physics.

In this article we perform a critical assessment of different known methods for the analytical con- tinuation of bosonic functions, namely the maximum entropy method, the non-negative least-square method, the non-negative Tikhonov method, the Pad ́e approximant method, and a stochastic sam- pling method. Four functions of different shape are investigated, corresponding to four physically relevant scenarios. They include a simple two-pole model function, two flavours of the tight bind- ing model on a square lattice, i.e. a single-orbital metallic system and a two-orbitals insulating system, and the Hubbard dimer. The effect of numerical noise in the input data on the analytical continuation is discussed in detail. Overall, the stochastic method by Mishchenko et al. [Phys. Rev. B 62, 6317 (2000)] is shown to be the most reliable tool for input data whose numerical precision is not known. For high precision input data, this approach is slightly outperformed by the Pad ́e approximant method, which combines a good resolution power with a good numerical stability. Although none of the methods retrieves all features in the spectra in the presence of noise, our analysis provides a useful guideline for obtaining reliable information of the spectral function in cases of practical interest.

The ill-posed analytic continuation problem for Green's functions and self-energies is investigated by revisiting the Pade approximants technique. We propose to remedy the well-known problems of the Pade approximants by performing an average of several continuations, obtained by varying the number of fitted input points and Pade coefficients independently. The suggested approach is then applied to several test cases, including Sm and Pr atomic self-energies, the Green's functions of the Hubbard model for a Bethe lattice and of the Haldane model for a nanoribbon, as well as two special test functions. The sensitivity to numerical noise and the dependence on the precision of the numerical libraries are analyzed in detail. The present approach is compared to a number of other techniques, i.e., the nonnegative least-squares method, the nonnegative Tikhonov method, and the maximum entropy method, and is shown to perform well for the chosen test cases. This conclusion holds even when the noise on the input data is increased to reach values typical for quantum Monte Carlo simulations. The ability of the algorithm to resolve fine structures is finally illustrated for two relevant test functions.

At ambient pressure the element cerium shows a metastable (t(1/2) similar to 40 years) double-hexagonal close-packed beta phase that is positioned between two cubic phases, gamma and alpha. With modest pressure the beta phase can be suppressed, and a volume contraction (17%) occurs between the gamma and the alpha phases as the temperature is varied. This phenomenon has been linked to subtle alterations in the 4f band. In order to rationalize the presence of the metastable beta phase, and its position in the phase diagram, we have computed the stacking fault formation energies of the cubic phases of cerium using an axial interaction model. This model links the total energy differences between hexagonal closed-packed stacking sequences and stacking fault energetics. Total energies are calculated by density functional theory and by dynamical mean-field theory merged with density functional theory. It is found that there is a large difference in the stacking fault energies between the alpha and the gamma phase. The beta-phase energy is nearly degenerate with the gamma phase, consistent with previous third-law calorimetry results, and dislocation dynamics explain the pressure and temperature hysteretic effects.

In this work we examine critically the electronic structure of the rare-earth elements by use of the so-called Hubbard I approximation. From the theoretical side all measured features of both occupied and unoccupied states are reproduced, without significant deviations between observations and theory. We also examine cohesive properties like the equilibrium volume and bulk modulus, where we find, in general, a good agreement between theory andmeasurements. In addition, we have reproduced the spin and orbital moments of these elements as they are reflected from measurements of the saturation moment. We have also employed the Hubbard I approximation to extract the interatomic exchange parameters of an effective spin Hamiltonian for the heavy rare earths. We show that the Hubbard I approximation gives results which are consistent with calculations where 4f electrons are treated as core states for Gd. The latter approach was also used to address the series of the heavy/late rare earths. Via Monte Carlo simulations we obtained ordering temperatures which reproduce measurements within about 20%. We have further illustrated the accuracy of these exchange parameters by comparing measured and calculated magnetic configurations for the heavy rare earths and the magnon dispersion for Gd. The Hubbard I approximation is compared to other theories of the electronic structure, and we argue that it is superior. We discuss the relevance of our results in general and how this makes it possible to treat the electronic structure of materials containing rare-earth elements, such as permanent magnets, magnetostrictive compounds, photovoltaics, optical fibers, topological insulators, and molecular magnets.

We provide an approach for the identification of the electronic and magnetic configurations of ferromagnetic Fe after an ultrafast decrease or increase of the magnetization. The model is based on the well-grounded assumption that, after an ultrafast variation of the magnetization, the system achieves a partial thermal equilibrium. With statistical arguments we show that the magnetic configurations are qualitatively different in the case of reduced or increased magnetization. The predicted magnetic configurations are then used to compute the dielectric response at the 3p (M) absorption edge, which is directly related to the changes observed in the experimental T-MOKE data. The good qualitative agreement between theory and experiment offers a substantial support for the validity of the model, and to the very existence of an ultrafast increase of the magnetization.

This work is a joint theoretical and experimental study of the relation between the magneto- optical response of a material in the sub-picosecond timescale and its instantaneous magnetisation. We perform pump-probe experiments in the transverse magneto-optical Kerr effect (T-MOKE) geometry. We measure the magnetic asymmetry of elemental Fe and Ni before and after the laser pulse. The observed differences between the magnetic asymmetry curves for various photon energies suggest that the relation between asymmetry and sample magnetization is more complex than a simple proportionality. Further insight is obtained by means of theoretical simulations based on density-functional theory. Our calculations show that non-linear effects in the asymmetry are most prominent at energies corresponding to the absorption edge and that the proportionality is recovered outside of this region. In conclusion, our experimental and theoretical results emphasize the need of including the complex relation between asymmetry and magnetization in the interpretation of ultrafast magnetization experiments in terms of microscopic properties.