Magnetic and electronic studies in the granular (Ni0.84Fe0.16)54(alumina)46 sputtered thin films

We have studied the magnetization in the granular (Ni0.84Fe0.16)(54)(alumina)(46) alloy. The thermomagnetization curve is found to obey the Bloch law. Spin wave stiffness constant D and the exchange constant A were calculated from the experimental results. The magnetic experimental measurements have been interpreted in the framework of random magnetic anisotropy (RMA) model. The results have shown that it is possible to extend the application of RMA to the granular alloy. From an analysis of the approach to saturation magnetization some fundamental parameters have been extracted. In addition, self-consistent ab initio calculations, based on Korringa-Kohn-Rostocker (KKR), are performed to investigate magnetic and electronic properties of the granular alloy. Spin polarization within the framework of the coherent potential approximation (CPA) is considered. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.