ON THE LOCAL MAGNETIC-MOMENTS AT X-SITES IN XFE2 COMPOUNDS - PRESSUREEFFECTS (X=Y, LU, ZR, HF)

Adopting a simple model to describe the intermetallic cubic Laves phas e compounds XFe2 (X=Y, Lu, Zr, Hf) we discuss the effect of an externa l applied pressure on the local magnetic moments at both sublattices. We assume that pressure acts on the system, modifying the widths of th e sublattice bands and the spin-dependent hybridization between d stat es of the two sublattices. Using realistic densities of states we obta in, in a self-consistent way, the local d-magnetic moments at X and Fe sites which turn out to be antiparallel. As pressure increases one sh ows that the magnitude of the local magnetic moment at the X site incr eases until saturating, whereas the local magnetic moment at the Fe si te decreases until saturating. Similarly to the experimental data, whi ch show that the hyperfine field at the X site increases with applied pressure, our theoretical model predicts that the magnetic moment at t he X site also increases with pressure. The calculated hyperfine and m agnetic moments at the Fe site are also consistent with available expe rimental data. (C) 1997 American Institute of Physics.