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On the ferromagnetic ground state of SmN
- Source :
- Phys. Rev. B 93, 054413 (2016)
- Publication Year :
- 2015
-
Abstract
- SmN is a ferromagnetic semiconductor with the unusual property of an orbital-dominant magnetic moment that is largely cancelled by an antiparallel spin contribution, resulting in a near-zero net moment. However, there is a basic gap in the understanding of the ferromagnetic ground state, with existing density functional theory calculations providing values of the $4f$ magnetic moments at odds with experimental data. To clarify the situation, we employ an effective $4f$ Hamiltonian incorporating spin-orbit coupling, exchange, the crystal field, and $J$-mixing to calculate the ground state $4f$ moments. Our results are in excellent agreement with experimental data, revealing moderate quenching of both spin and orbital moments to magnitudes of $\sim 2~\mu_B$ in bulk SmN, enhanced to an average of $\sim 3~\mu_B$ in SmN layers within a SmN/GdN superlattice. These calculations provide insight into recent studies of SmN showing that it is an unconventional superconductor at low temperatures and displays twisted magnetization phases in magnetic heterostructures.
- Subjects :
- Condensed Matter - Materials Science
Subjects
Details
- Database :
- arXiv
- Journal :
- Phys. Rev. B 93, 054413 (2016)
- Publication Type :
- Report
- Accession number :
- edsarx.1511.04820
- Document Type :
- Working Paper
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.93.054413