TEMPERATURE-DEPENDENCE OF MAGNETIC-ANISOTROPY AND MAGNETOSTRICTION

The first nonvanishing magnetic anisotropy coefficient is calculated as a function of temperature for any spin quantum number and all temperatures below the Curie temperature for the case of face-centered cubic symmetry within the random-phase approximation (RPA). A detailed and instructive comparison between the mean-field and the RPA predictions is carried out. The RPA magnetization curves are also given for spins S>1/2. Most of the theoretical considerations are quite general as regards lattice type and even decoupling scheme and can thus be applied straightforwardly to other cases of interest. The progress reported here has been attained with the help of a simplified and improved parametric approach and of a recent calculation of the average occupation number of quasiparticle excitations within the RPA. In particular, this approach makes unnecessary the solving of integral equations so that the proposed procedure is especially simple and practically versatile in applications to any particular anisotropic material. © 1995 The American Physical Society.