Theory Department
Max Planck Institute of Microstructure Physics
1997    
1998    
1999    
2000    
2001    
2002    
2003    
2004    
2005    
2006    
2007    
2008    
2009    
2010    
2011    
2012    
2013    
2014    
2015    
2016    
2017    
2018    
2019    
2020    
2021    
Oka, H., Ignatiev, P. A., Wedekind, S., Rodary, G., Niebergall, L., Stepanyuk, V. S., Sander, D., Kirschner, J.

Spatial modulation of spin polarization within a single Co island
Hyomen Kagaku 31, (9),pp 480-486 (2010)
When electrons are confined to nanostructures, quantum interference takes place due to their wave-particle duality. Using spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscopy, we studied the influence of quantum interference of electrons on the spatial distribution of the spin polarization within a single magnetic nanostructure. We find changes in both the magnitude and sign of the spin polarization on a subnanometer scale. We compare our experimental results with ab initio calculations of the spin-resolved local density of states (LDOS). We find that the modulation of the spin-polarization at a given energy can be ascribed to the different magnitudes of spatially modulated majority states and non-modulated minority states contributing to the total LDOS.

TH-2010-35