Meta-magnetism in UCoAl

Abstract

The authors have undertaken a detailed theoretical investigation of the meta-magnetic transition in UCoAl. Using the fixed spin moment method in their calculations they can account for the observed meta-magnetic transition and find that the magnetic properties of UCoAl are dominated by a moment located on the uranium atom. This uranium moment is found to consist of an orbital moment that is larger and anti-parallel to the spin moment. The spin and orbital moments were calculated using the local spin-density approximation and the recently reported formalism for orbital polarisation together with the spin-orbit interaction.