arXiv · 1603.04396
Irrelevance of the boundary on the magnetization of metals
Abstract
The macroscopic current density responsible for the mean magnetization $\mathbf{M}$ of a uniformly magnetized bounded sample is localized near its surface. In order to evaluate $\mathbf{M}$ one needs the current distribution in the whole sample: bulk and boundary. In recent years it has been shown that the boundary has no effect on $\mathbf{M}$ in insulators: therein, $\mathbf{M}$ admits an alternative expression, not based on currents. $\mathbf{M}$ can be expressed in terms of the bulk electron distribution only, which is "nearsighted" (exponentially localized); this virtue is not shared by metals, having a qualitatively different electron distribution. We show, by means of simulations on paradigmatic model systems, that even in metals the $\mathbf{M}$ value can be retrieved in terms of the bulk electron distribution only.
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Antimo Marrazzo, Raffaele Resta. 2016-03-14. Irrelevance of the boundary on the magnetization of metals. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.116.137201
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