Effects of spin-orbit coupling on magnetic properties of discrete and extended magnetic systems

In accounting for the magnetic properties of discrete and extended compounds with unpaired spins, it is crucial to know the nature of their ground and low-lying excited states. In this review we surveyed quantum mechanical descriptions on how these states are affected by spin-orbit coupling and attempted to provide a conceptual framework with which to think about spin-orbit coupling and its applications. (C) 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.