MAGNETIC INTERACTION BETWEEN CO LAYERS AND PD LAYERS IN CO/PD MULTILAYERS

The magnetic moment of Co/Pd multilayers where the Co layer is one layer thick has been calculated using the discrete variational-X alpha cluster method. The moment of the multilayer per Co atom as a function of the number of Pd layers (n(Pd)) shows a maximum at n(Pd) = 3. Moreover, it is found that the magnetic moment at the central Pd layer is induced antiferromagnetically for n(Pd) = 5. We conclude that the Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yosida interaction is dominant, rather than the d-d interaction between the central Pd layer and the Co layers, while the d-d interaction is dominant between the other Pd layers and the Co layers.