First-principles study of the thermal properties of half-metallic ferromagnetic systems

The origin of the half-metallicity is different in diluted magnetic semiconductors and Heusler alloys. I briefly review our earlier work on (GaMn)As and (GaMn)N focusing on the relation between the half-metallicity and the strength of the interatomic exchange interactions. This relation is governed by the properties of the valence-band holes. In Heusler alloys the factors determining the thermal behavior are distinct. Here the relation between half-metallicity and the longitudinal fluctuations of atomic moments is considered. The temperature dependence of the Ni magnetization in NiMnSb is studied.