2004/11/22 by S. Schwieger, J. Kienert, W. Nolting +1 · 4 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #Magnetic properties of thin films #Physics of Superconductivity and Magnetism #Theoretical and Computational Physics #cond-mat.str-el
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevb.71.024428
published as Phys. Ref. B 71, 024428 (2005). · accepted for publication in PRB
arxiv created 2004/11/22 · openalex publication_date 2005/01/28 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
We consider the spin reorientation transition in a ferromagnetic Heisenberg monolayer with a second-order single-ion anisotropy as a function of temperature and external field. Up to now analytical methods give satisfying results only for the special case that the external field is aligned parallel to the easy axis of the crystal. We propose a theory based on a generalization of the Callen decoupling, which can be used for an arbritrary direction of the external field. Excellent agreement between our results and quantum Monte Carlo data is found for the field-induced reorientation at finite temperatures. Additionally, we discuss the temperature dependence of the transition in detail.