Eur. Phys. J. B 46, 541-551 (2005)
https://doi.org/10.1140/epjb/e2005-00287-y

Magnetic reordering in the vicinity of a ferromagnetic/antiferromagnetic interface

¹ Institut für Theoretische Physik, Freie Universität Berlin, Arnimallee 14, 14195 Berlin, Germany
² IPCMS – GEMME, Université Louis Pasteur, 23 rue du Loess, 67037 Strasbourg, France
³ Facultad de Física, Pontificia Universidad Católica, Casilla 306, Santiago de Chile, 6904411 Chile

Corresponding author: ^a jensen@physik.fu-berlin.de

Received: 21 January 2005
Published online: 7 September 2005

Abstract

The magnetic arrangement in the vicinity of the interface between a ferromagnet and an antiferromagnet is investigated, in particular its dependence on the exchange couplings and the temperature. Applying a Heisenberg model, both sc(001) and fcc(001) lattices are considered and solved by a mean field approximation. Depending on the parameter values a variety of different magnetic configurations emerge. Usually the subsystem with the larger ordering temperature induces a magnetic order into the other one (magnetic proximity effect). With increasing temperature a reorientation of the magnetic sublattices is obtained. For coupled sc(001) systems both FM and AFM films are disturbed from their collinear magnetic order, hence exhibit a similar behavior. This symmetry is absent for fcc(001) films which, under certain circumstances, may exhibit two different critical temperatures. Analytical results are derived for simple bilayer systems.