Phase Diagram of the BCC S=1/2 Heisenberg Antiferromagnet with First and Second Neighbor Exchange

We use linked-cluster series expansions, both at T=0 and high temperature, to analyse the phase structure of the spin-\half Heisenberg antiferromagnet with competing first and second-neighbor interactions on the 3-dimensional body-centred-cubic lattice. At zero temperature we find a first-order quantum phase transition at $J_2/J_1 \simeq 0.705 \pm 0.005$ between AF$_1$ (Ne\'el) and AF$_2$ ordered phases. The high temperature series yield quite accurate estimates of the bounding critical line for the AF$_1$ phase, and an apparent critical line for the AF$_2$ phase, with a bicritical point at $J_1/J_2\simeq 0.71$, $kT/J_1\simeq 0.34$. The possibility that this latter transition is first-order cannot be excluded.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figure

Specific heat of two-dimensional diluted magnets

Using Monte Carlo techniques, the two-dimensional site-diluted Ising model is studied. In particular, properties of the specific heat, its critical behaviour and the emergence of a non-singular maximum above the transition temperature at moderate concentration of defects, are discussed.Comment: 10 pages, 5 eps-figures, elsart-style, submitted to Physica

Layering and temperature-dependent magnetization and anisotropy of naturally produced Ni/NiO multilayers

Ni/NiO multilayers were grown by magnetron sputtering at room temperature, with the aid of the natural oxidation procedure. That is, at the end of the deposition of each single Ni layer, air is let to flow into the vacuum chamber through a leak valve. Then, a very thin NiO layer (~1.2nm) is formed. Simulated x-ray reflectivity patterns reveal that layering is excellent for individual Ni-layer thickness larger than 2.5nm, which is attributed to the intercalation of amorphous NiO between the polycrystalline Ni layers. The magnetization of the films, measured at temperatures 5–300K, has almost bulk- like value, whereas the films exhibit a trend to perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) with an unusual significant positive interface anisotropy contribution, which presents a weak temperature dependence. The power-law behavior of the multilayers indicates a non-negligible contribution of higher order anisotropies in the uniaxial anisotropy. Bloch-law fittings for the temperature dependence of the magnetization in the spin-wave regime show that the magnetization in the multilayers decreases faster as a function of temperature than the one of bulk Ni. Finally, when the individual Ni-layer thickness decreases below 2nm, the multilayer stacking vanishes, resulting in a dramatic decrease of the interface magnetic anisotropy and consequently in a decrease of the perpendicular magnetic anisotropy