Reflectance and magneto-optical Kerr rotation in DyP

The rare-earth compounds are distinguished by their unique magnetic, electric and optical properties. These are strongly correlated materials. Their highly localized 4f electrons are responsible for their large magnetic moment. Optical properties of a material can be utilized in different applications such as reflectors, filters, and X-ray masks. On the other hand, magneto-optical properties of materials are used in storage devices. The calculations of optical properties of rare-earth compound DyP using the full potential linear augmented plane wave (FPLAPW) method with inclusion of spin orbit coupling have been reported. The Coulomb-corrected local spin density approximation, i.e. LSDA+U, which is known to treat the highly correlated 4f electrons properly have been employed. The calculated optical properties are in good agreement with the measured value. The magneto-optical Kerr rotation has been reported and the values expected for DyP in the low energy range have been predicted.