Spin quantization axis dependent magnetic properties and x-ray magnetic circular dichroism of FePt and CoPt

Abstract

We have performed a theoretical study of the magnetic circular dichroism in the x-ray absorption spectra (XMCD) of the equiatomic CoPt and FePt ordered alloys as a function of the spin quantization axis. We found that the magnetization axis is along the [001] direction and the magneto-crystalline anisotropy energy (MCA) for the FePt compound is twice as large as that of the CoPt compound in agreement with experiment. The band structure and the total density of states confirm that all electronic states contribute to the MCA, and not just the states at the vicinity of the Fermi level. The orbital magnetic moments decrease with respect to the angle between the [001] axis and the spin quantization axis, and are much larger for the CoPt compound. We show that the orbital moment anisotropy is reflected in the XMCD signal.