An Effective Spin Hamiltonian Approach to Metamagnetism - I

Abstract

We describe a minimal model, based on a spin only Hamiltonian with a single energy scale for itinerant electron metamagnetism. Within this model the metamagnetic critical field is directly proportional to the temperature where a peak in the linear susceptibility occurs which in turn is related in a simple manner to the temperature where the nonlinear susceptibilities also peak. The spin dependent thermodynamic properties are derived in a straightforward manner and bear a striking resemblance to observations in such strongly correlated systems as heavy fermion materials. We also consider extensions of the model by including effects such as a mean field to encompass observed deviations from a minimal metamagnetic behavior.