Electronic structure of strongly correlated transition metal oxides (TMOs) is a complex phenomenon due to competing interaction among the charge, spin, orbital and lattice degrees of freedom. Often individual compounds are examined to explain certain properties associated with these compounds or in rare cases few members of a family are investigated to define a particular trend exhibited by that family. Here, with the objective of generalization, we have investigated the electronic structure of three families of compounds, namely, highly symmetric cubic mono-oxides, symmetrylowered spinels and asymmetric olivine phosphates, through density functional calculations. From the results we have developed empirical hypotheses involving electron hopping, electron-lattice coupling, Hund's rule coupling, strong correlation and d-band filling. These hypotheses, classified through the point group symmetry of the transition metal -oxygen complexes, can be useful to understand and predict the electronic and magnetic structure of 3d TMOs.

The augmented space formalism coupled with the recursion method and a tight-binding linear Muffin-tin orbitals basis has been applied to study the effects of roughness on the properties of (001) surfaces of body-centered cubic Fe and face-centered cubic Co and Ni. The formalism is also proposed for the study of smooth surface. Comparisons have been made for three types of surfaces: a smooth surface, the surface with a rough top layer, and a more realistic model with several rough top layers converging into a crystalline bulk. Comparisons have been made between the magnetic moments, work function and electronic density of states in the three models described above.

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Keywords: exchange bias, cluster spin glass, magnetic memory effect, density functional theory Exchange bias (EB) as large as ~5.5 kOe is observed in SrLaCo0.5Mn0.5O4 which is the highest ever found in any layered transition metal oxides including Ruddlesden-Popper series. Neutron diffraction measurement rules out long-range magnetic ordering and together with dc magnetic measurements suggest formation of short-range magnetic domains. AC magnetic susceptibility, magnetic memory effect and magnetic training effect confirm the system to be a cluster spin glass. By carrying out density functional calculations on several model configurations, we propose that EB is originated at the boundary between Mn-rich antiferromagnetic and Co-rich ferromagnetic domains at the sub-nanoscale. Reversal of magnetization axis on the Co-side alters the magnetic coupling between the interfacial Mn and Co spins which leads to EB. Our analysis infers that the presence of competing magnetic interactions is sufficient to induce exchange bias and thereby a wide range of materials exhibiting giant EB can be engineered for designing novel magnetic memory devices.

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In high-[Formula: see text] superconductors, electrons form pairs and electric transport becomes dissipation-less at low temperatures. The iron-based superconductors (FeSCs) have the highest superconducting (SC) transition temperature next to copper oxides. The gap structure and pairing mechanism for FeSCs are hotly discussed as a central issue since their discovery. A model Hamiltonian for the superconductivity in FeSCs is proposed by a tight-binding two-orbital model. The SC gap, conduction electron density of states, specific heat and energy band structure for the system are calculated. We have proposed here a [Formula: see text]-wave pairing symmetry of the form [Formula: see text] in the model in the mean-field approximation. The model is solved by Zubarev’s double-time Green’s function technique to find the self-consistent gap equation and is solved self-consistently.

The Augmented Space Formalism coupled with Recursion method and Density Functional Theory based Tight-Binding Linear Muffin-Tin Orbitals have been applied for a first principles calculation of surface electronic and magnetic properties of body centered cubic Fe(001) and face centered cubic Co(001) and Ni(001). Nine atomic layers have been studied to see the trend of change in these properties from surface into the bulk. Surface magnetic moment has been found to be higher than that of the bulk and in different layers below, magnetic moments show Friedel oscillations in agreement with other studies. Work functions of these systems have been found to agree with experimental values. We propose this real space technique to be suitable for the study of localized physical properties like surface layers and it is also suitable for the study rough surfaces and interfaces.

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