Electrically tunable quantum anomalous Hall effect in graphene decorated by 5d transition-metal adatoms

Based on first-principles calculations, we predict that 5d transition metals on graphene present a unique class of hybrid systems exhibiting topological transport effects that can be manipulated effectively by external electric fields. The origin of this phenomenon lies in the exceptional magnetic p...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Physical review letters 2012-02, Vol.108 (5), p.056802-056802
Main Authors: Zhang, Hongbin, Lazo, Cesar, Blügel, Stefan, Heinze, Stefan, Mokrousov, Yuriy
Format: Article
Language:English
Citations: Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Based on first-principles calculations, we predict that 5d transition metals on graphene present a unique class of hybrid systems exhibiting topological transport effects that can be manipulated effectively by external electric fields. The origin of this phenomenon lies in the exceptional magnetic properties and the large spin-orbit interaction of the 5d metals leading to significant magnetic moments accompanied with colossal magnetocrystalline anisotropy energies. A strong magnetoelectric response is predicted that offers the possibility to switch the spontaneous magnetization direction by moderate electric fields, enabling an electrically tunable quantum anomalous Hall effect.
ISSN:1079-7114
DOI:10.1103/PhysRevLett.108.056802