Atomic spin structure of antiferromagnetic domain walls.
The search for uncompensated magnetic moments on antiferromagnetic surfaces is of great technological importance as they are responsible for the exchange-bias effect that is widely used in state-of-the-art magnetic storage devices. We have studied the atomic spin structure of phase domain walls in the antiferromagnetic Fe monolayer on W(001) by means of spin-polarized scanning tunnelling microscopy and Monte Carlo simulations. The domain wall width only amounts to 6-8 atomic rows. Although walls oriented along <100> directions are found to be fully compensated, detailed analysis of <110>-oriented walls reveals an uncompensated perpendicular magnetic moment. Our result represents a major advance in the field of antiferromagnetism, and may lead to a better understanding of the magnetic interaction between ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic materials.
Bode
M
M
Institute of Applied Physics and Microstructure Research Center, University of Hamburg, Jungiusstrasse 11, 20355 Hamburg, Germany. mbode@physnet.uni-hamburg.de
Vedmedenko
E Y
EY
von Bergmann
K
K
Kubetzka
A
A
Ferriani
P
P
Heinze
S
S
Wiesendanger
R
R