Origin of Perpendicular Magnetic Anisotropy and Large Orbital Moment in Fe Atoms on MgO

We report on the magnetic properties of individual Fe atoms deposited on MgO(100) thin films probed by x-ray magnetic circular dichroism and scanning tunneling spectroscopy. We show that the Fe atoms have strong perpendicular magnetic anisotropy with a zero-field splitting of 14.0±0.3  meV/atom. Thi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Physical review letters 2015-12, Vol.115 (23), p.237202-237202, Article 237202
Main Authors: Baumann, S, Donati, F, Stepanow, S, Rusponi, S, Paul, W, Gangopadhyay, S, Rau, I G, Pacchioni, G E, Gragnaniello, L, Pivetta, M, Dreiser, J, Piamonteze, C, Lutz, C P, Macfarlane, R M, Jones, B A, Gambardella, P, Heinrich, A J, Brune, H
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Anisotropy
Atomic beam spectroscopy
Magnesium oxide
Magnetic anisotropy
Magnetic properties
Mathematical models
Orbitals
Surface chemistry
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Summary:We report on the magnetic properties of individual Fe atoms deposited on MgO(100) thin films probed by x-ray magnetic circular dichroism and scanning tunneling spectroscopy. We show that the Fe atoms have strong perpendicular magnetic anisotropy with a zero-field splitting of 14.0±0.3  meV/atom. This is a factor of 10 larger than the interface anisotropy of epitaxial Fe layers on MgO and the largest value reported for Fe atoms adsorbed on surfaces. The interplay between the ligand field at the O adsorption sites and spin-orbit coupling is analyzed by density functional theory and multiplet calculations, providing a comprehensive model of the magnetic properties of Fe atoms in a low-symmetry bonding environment.
ISSN:0031-9007
1079-7114
DOI:10.1103/physrevlett.115.237202