SYMMETRY-INDUCED MAGNETIC-ANISOTROPY IN ULTRATHIN PLANAR STRIPED CO FILMS WITH AND WITHOUT CU DECORATION

First-principles local density full potential linearized augmented pla ne wave method and state-tracking and torque approaches are employed f or the theoretical determination of in-plane and off-plane magnetic an isotropy for both free standing planar Co stripes and the same film pu t on a Cu (100) substrate, with and without nonmagnetic Cu decoration. The easy magnetic axis is found to lie parallel to the stripes for cl ean Co stripes; the decoration with nonmagnetic Cu is found to switch the easy axis from parallel to perpendicular to the stripes. The magne tic anisotropy coefficients are determined and the magnetic behavior i s related to, and explained in terms of, their electronic structures a nd the fundamental bonding properties of the constituent atoms.