Electronic structures and magnetic properties of a ferromagnetic insulator: La2MnNiO6

We have investigated the electronic structures and magnetic properties of La2MnNiO6 that is a typical ferromagnetic insulator with the double perovskite structure. We have examined the valence states of Mn and Ni ions using the full-potential linearized augmented plane wave band method. The density of states as well as the charge density plot are in good agreement with the reported experimental and theoretical results. We have examined the ferromagnetic mechanism in terms of the superexchange interaction. We have calculated the x-ray absorption spectrum based on the band structure results and compared it with the experiment. (C) 2009 American Institute of Physics. [DOI: 10.1063/1.3073661]