Calculation of spin modes on magnetic surface clusters

• Published in: Surface science 2002-02, Vol.498 (1), p.L97-L102
• Main Authors: Khater, Antoine, Ghantous, Michel Abou
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Clusters; Condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties; Exact sciences and technology; Magnetic properties and materials; Magnetic properties of surface, thin films and multilayers; Magnetic surfaces; Physics; Single crystal surfaces; Surface magnetism
• ISSN: 0039-6028; 1879-2758
• DOI: 10.1016/S0039-6028(01)01412-1

A method is presented for the calculation of the energies of spin modes of magnetic surface clusters. The cluster is considered to be supported on a magnetically ordered substrate, such that the spins of the cluster and the substrate atoms interact via magnetic exchange. No electronic effects are considered. The analytical approach solves for the three dimensional crystal spin field in the bulk and the surface domains around the cluster, that arises owing to the breakdown of magnetic translation symmetry for the system. In particular we consider here a five-atom planar cluster on the surface of a ferromagnetic simple cubic lattice, the spin order being in the direction normal to surface boundary. The method is applied to calculate the spin mode energies of a planar cluster of five Gd atoms on an Fe(1 0 0) surface where the Fe substrate is approximated as a simple cubic lattice. These spin mode energies are compared with those of the spin modes of the free cluster. This analytic approach is applicable to different surface cluster configurations for the same underlying substrate cubic symmetry in the present model, which underlies the general character of the approach.