Abstract
In this study, the electronic structures and physical properties of Ni$_2$MnGa alloy films and their dependence on the order-disorder structural transitions were investigated. The results show that the ordered films behave nearly the same as the bulk $Ni_2$MnGa alloy, including the martensitic transformation at 200 K. Unexpectedly, the disordering in $Ni_2$MnGa alloy films does not lead to any appreciable magnetic ordering down to 4 K. An annealing of the disordered films restores the ordered structure with an almost full recovery of the magnetic and the transport properties of the ordered $Ni_2$MnGa alloy films. A possible explanation of the disappearance of magnetic moment in the disordered film is given by using the ab initio first-principles electronic-structure calculations.