Magnetocrystalline anisotropy energy for adatoms and monolayers on non-magnetic substrates: where does it come from?

0435168 - FZÚ 2015 RIV GB eng J - Journal Article
Šipr, Ondřej - Bornemann, S. - Ebert, H. - Minar, J.
Magnetocrystalline anisotropy energy for adatoms and monolayers on non-magnetic substrates: where does it come from?
Journal of Physics-Condensed Matter. Roč. 26, č. 19 (2014), s. 1-12. ISSN 0953-8984. E-ISSN 1361-648X
R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GAP108/11/0853
Institutional support: RVO:68378271
Keywords : anisotropy * localization * spin-orbit coupling * exchange field
Subject RIV: BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism
Impact factor: 2.346, year: 2014

The substrate contribution to the magnetic anisotropy energy (MAE) of supported nanostructures can be assessed by a site-selective manipulation of the spin-orbit coupling (SOC) and of the effective exchange field B_ex. A systematic study of Co adatoms and Co monolayers on the (111) surfaces of Cu, Ag, Au, Pd and Pt is performed to study common trends in this class of materials. It is found that for adatoms, the influence of the substrate SOC and B_ex is relatively small (10-30% of the MAE) while for monolayers, this influence can be substantial. The influence of the substrate SOC is much more important than the influence of the substrate B_ex, except for highly polarizable substrates with a strong SOC (such as Pt). The substrate always promotes the tendency to an out-of-plane orientation of the easy magnetic axis for all the investigated systems.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0239058