Symmetry analysis of the interplay between local moment anisotropies and propagation vectors in the borocarbides

Representational analysis is used to examine the interplay between Fermi surface nesting and local moment effects in the formation of the magnetically ordered states of the rare-earth nickel borocarbides, RNi₂B₂C. We derive compatibility tables for the propagation wavevector k, the local moment anisotropy and the ordered moment direction μ _k for materials with this tetragonal crystal structure. The magnetic structures observed in the rare-earth nickel borocarbides are discussed in this context.