Electronic structure calculations for Gd₃₂Co₆₈ and Gd₁₈Co₈₂ amorphous alloys

Abstract

The spin-polarized electronic structures of Gd18Co82 and Gd32Co68 amorphous alloys are calculated self-consistently in order to study their magnetic properties. The calculated electronic-state densities of the Gd and Co d states do not have well-resolved peaks; this is a characteristic of amorphous alloys. The magnetic moments of Co and Gd are 1.51 and 7.16 μB in Gd18Co82, and 1.38 and 7.14 μB in Gd32Co68, respectively. These values show good agreement with experimental data. The exchange splitting of Co d states in Gd32Co68 is smaller than in Gd 18Co82, while the density of states at the Fermi level in the former is higher than that in the latter.