Bryant B, Spinelli A, Wagenaar JJT, Gerrits M, Otte AF. Local control of single atom magnetocrystalline anisotropy.
Phys Rev Lett 2013;
111:127203. [PMID:
24093296 DOI:
10.1103/physrevlett.111.127203]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2013] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Individual Fe atoms on a Cu(2)N/Cu(100) surface exhibit strong magnetic anisotropy due to the crystal field. We show that we can controllably enhance or reduce this anisotropy by adjusting the relative position of a second nearby Fe atom, with atomic precision, in a low-temperature scanning tunneling microscope. Local inelastic electron tunneling spectroscopy, combined with a qualitative first-principles model, reveal that the change in uniaxial anisotropy is driven by local strain due to the presence of the second Fe atom.
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