The physics of magnetic materials from ab-initio calculations

Recent advances on ab-initio computation of physical properties of magnetic materials are reviewed. The emphasis is put forward regarding the new development of the electronic structure methods, namely the calculation of magnetic anisotropy energy, X-ray magnetic dichroism, non-collinear magnetism, spin density wave, and spin fluctuations in materials. These theoretical advances have lead to new levels of understanding of magnetic materials. In particular, new results on magnetic anisotropy, surface and interface magnetism, and magnetic alloys will be briefly discussed.