INTERFACE MAGNETIC-ANISOTROPY

The analysis of experimental anisotropy in thin films is discussed in this paper. The need to take dimensionality effects into consideration is highlighted and two methods for doing this are proposed. These met hods allow the actual surface/interface anisotropy to be extracted fro m the experimental data. The interface dependence of surface anisotrop y is then discussed by evoking a simple band structure picture and by only considering hybridization effects. Despite the simplicity of this model, it appears to be very successful in explaining known experimen tal results.