Orbital moment in CoO and in NiO

Abstract

The total, orbital and spin moment of the Co 2+ ion in CoO have been calculated within the quasi-atomic approach taking into account strong correlations, crystal-field interactions and the intra-atomic spin–orbit coupling. The orbital moment of 1.39 μ B amounts at 0 K , in the magnetically-ordered state, to more than 34% of the total moment (4.01 μ B) and yields the L/ S ratio of 1.05, close to the experimental value. The same calculations yield for NiO the orbital and total moment of 0.46 μ B and 2.45 μ B, respectively.