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

S. Baumann, F. Donati, S. Stepanow, S. Rusponi, W. Paul, S. Gangopadhyay, I. G. Rau, G. E. Pacchioni, L. Gragnaniello, M. Pivetta, J. Dreiser, C. Piamonteze, C. P. Lutz, R. M. Macfarlane, B. A. Jones, P. Gambardella, A. J. Heinrich, H. Brune

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

97 Scopus citations

Abstract

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.

Original languageEnglish
Article number237202
JournalPhysical Review Letters
Volume115
Issue number23
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Dec 2015

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2015 American Physical Society.

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Origin of Perpendicular Magnetic Anisotropy and Large Orbital Moment in Fe Atoms on MgO'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this