Atomic-Scale Spin Spiral with a Unique Rotational Sense: Mn Monolayer on W(001)
Year: 2008
Type: article
Abstract: Using spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscopy we show that the magnetic order of 1 monolayer Mn on W(001) is a spin spiral propagating along 110 crystallographic directions. The spiral arises on the atomic scale with a period of about 2.2 nm, equivalent to only 10 atomic rows. Ab initio calculations identify the spin spiral as a left-handed cycloid stabilized by the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction, imposed by spin-orbit coupling, in the presence of softened ferromagnetic exchange coupling. Monte Carlo simulations explain the formation of a nanoscale labyrinth pattern, originating from the coexistence of the two possible rotational domains, that is intrinsic to the system.
Source: Physical Review Letters
Institutions: Universität Hamburg, Forschungszentrum Jülich
Language: English
Subfield: Condensed Matter Physics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2063016989