  We present an atomistic model of a single nanoparticle with core/shell
structure that takes into account its lattice strucutre and spherical geometry,
and in which the values of microscopic parameters such as anisotropy and
exchange constants can be tuned in the core, shell and interfacial regions. By
means of Monte Carlo simulations of the hysteresis loops based on this model,
we have determined the range of microscopic parameters for which loop shifts
after field cooling can be observed. The study of the magnetic order of the
interfacial spins for different particles sizes and values of the interfacial
exchange coupling have allowed us to correlate the appearance of loop
asymmetries and vertical displacements to the existence of a fraction of
uncompensated spins at the shell interface that remain pinned during field
cycling, offering new insight on the microscopic origin of the experimental
phenomenology.
