Critical behavior of a two-dimensional ferromagnetic film on a non-magnetic substrate

Abstract

Abstract In this paper, we investigate the behavior of a ferromagnetic (FM) film on a nonmagnetic substrate near the Curie point by the computer simulation. The influence of the substrate is specified using the two-dimensional Frenkel-Kontorova (FK) potential. The study is carried out for a two-dimensional film described by the Ising model. At the first step, we calculate the positions of the substrate’s atoms in the ground state depending on the parameters. The parameters are (i) the ratio of the substrate periods and the crystal lattice of the film; and (ii) the ratio of the substrate potential amplitude to the elasticity coefficient of interatomic interaction. The period ratio determines the system coverage ratio. Minimization of the system’s total energy determines the ground state. Calculations show that the ground state has a periodic structure that differs from a square lattice with a coverage coefficient not equal to unity. We calculate the displacements of atoms from the equilibrium position for systems with a different linear scale.