Dependence of a crystal's magnetic energy on magnetization direction relative to its lattice, commonly generated by spin-orbit coupling and the crystal environment. A half-filled orbital shell with suppresses first-order orbital anisotropy, although smaller admixture and dipolar effects can remain.
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Magnetocrystalline anisotropy (MCA) refers to the dependence of a material's magnetic properties on the crystallographic orientation of its crystalline structure. In other words, it describes how the energy associated with magnetization varies based on the direction of the magnetic moment within a crystal.