Using the fully relativistic screened Korringa-Kohn-Rostoker method I study the orbital magnetism in the half-metallic Heusler alloys. Orbital moments are almost completely quenched and they are negligible with respect to the spin moments. The change in the atomic-resolved orbital moments can be easily explained in terms of the spin-orbit strength and hybridization effects. Finally, I discuss the orbital and spin moments derived from x-ray magnetic circular dichroism experiments.

• Received 21 July 2004

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.71.012413