Magnetic properties bulk ferromagnets

Interest is maintained ia these materials because of the combination of mechanical, corrosion, electric, and magnetic properties. However, it is their ferromagnetic properties that lead to the principal appHcation of glassy metals. The soft magnetic properties and remarkably low coercivity offer tremendous opportunities for this appHcation (see Magnetic materials, bulk Magnetic materials, thin film). 

It is relatively common for DFT calculations to not explicitly include electron spin, for the simple reason that this approximation makes calculations faster. In materials where spin effects may be important, however, it is crucial that spin is included. Fe, for example, is a metal that is well known for its magnetic properties. Figure 8.10 shows the energy of bulk Fe in the bcc crystal structure from calculations with no spin polarization and calculations with ferromagnetic spin ordering. The difference is striking electron spins lower the energy substantially and increase the predicted equilibrium lattice constant by 0.1 A. 

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