Oka, H., Rodary, G. and Wedekind, S., Ignatiev, P. A., Niebergall, L., Stepanyuk, V. S., Sander, D., Kirschner, J.
New insights into nanomagnetism: Spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy studies
Spintronics IV, Proceedings of SPIE 8100, pp 81000O/1-9 (Eds.) Drouhin, H.-J. M., Wegrowe, J.-E. and Razeghi, M.,San Diego, USA (2011)
We perform low-temperature spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscopy (SP-STM) and spectroscopy measurements in magnetic fields to gain new insights into nanomagnetism. We use the magnetic field to change and control magnetizations of a sample and a magnetic tip, and measure the magnetic hysteresis loops of individual Co nano-islands on Cu(111). We also exploit the high spatial resolution of SP-STM in magnetic fields to measure maps of the differential conductance within a single Co nano-island. In connection with ab-initio calculations, we find that the spin polarization is not homogeneous but spatially modulated within the nano-island. We ascribe the spatial variation of the spin polarization to spin-dependent electron confinement within the Co nano-island.
TH-2011-35