Electric field effects on magnetocrystalline anisotropy in ferromagnetic Fe monolayers

The magnetocrystalline anisotropy (MCA) for an Fe monolayer on MgO substrate (Fe/MgO) and that sandwiched by MgO (MgO/Fe/MgO) is investigated by means of the first principles full-potential linearized augmented plane-wave method, and the effects of an external electric field on the MCA is discussed. In both systems, the MCA is found to be modified through a change in the d band structure around Fermi level by the external electric field. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.