Theoretical calculation of magnetic properties of ultrathin Fe films on Cu(100)
The temperature dependence of the magnetization in fcc Fe on Cu(100) is calculated using a self-consistent local mean-field theory. The model reproduces an experimental magnetization oscillation as a function of film thickness and supports a picture where the top two layers are ferromagnetically coupled, and the remaining layers are antiferromagnetically coupled. The origin of the puzzling linear temperature dependence in oscillation amplitude is understood as a "surface phenomena" of the antiferromagnetic layer at the Fe/Cu interface. Proximity effects between a thin antiferromagnet with a low Neel temperature and a neighboring ferromagnet with a higher Curie temperature are discussed.
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