Tuning the metamagnetism of an antiferromagnetic metal

We describe a disordered local moment first-principles electronic structure theory which demonstrates that tricritical metamagnetism can arise in an antiferromagnetic metal due to the dependence of local moment interactions on the magnetization state. Itinerant electrons can therefore play a defining role in metamagnetism in the absence of large magnetic anisotropy. Our model is used to accurately predict the temperature dependence of the metamagnetic critical fields in CoMnSi-based alloys, explaining the sensitivity of metamagnetism to Mn-Mn separations and compositional variations found previously. We thus provide a finite-temperature framework for modeling and predicting different metamagnets of interest in applications such as magnetic cooling. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.87.060404