A Finite-temperature First-principles Approach to Spin Fluctuation in BaFe₂As₂

Thermodynamic flunctuations in BaFe2As2 is addressed with a first-principles formulation of the Helmholtz energy by accounting for the mixture of various electronic states each distinguished by different spin orientation distributions. We find that it is the spin exchange coupling in the inter-plane c direction that dictates the spin density wave ordering. We quantitatively predicted the pressure dependence of the spin density wave ordering, the Schottky anomaly, and the temperature dependence of thermal populations of spin structures, all in agreement with available experimental data.