title: Joule heating and spin-transfer torque investigated on the atomic scale using a spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscope.
abstract: The influence of a high spin-polarized tunnel current onto the switching behavior of a superparamagnetic nanoisland on a nonmagnetic substrate is investigated by means of spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscopy. A detailed lifetime analysis allows for a quantification of the effective temperature rise of the nanoisland and the modification of the activation energy barrier for magnetization reversal, thereby using the nanoisland as a local thermometer and spin-transfer torque analyzer. Both the Joule heating and spin-transfer torque are found to scale linearly with the tunnel current. The results are compared to experiments performed on lithographically fabricated magneto-tunnel junctions, revealing a very high spin-transfer torque switching efficiency in our experiments.
authors: Institute of Applied Physics and Microstructure Research Center, University of Hamburg, Jungiusstr 11, 20355 Hamburg, Germany. skrause@physnet.uni-hamburg.de
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Krause
authors: G
authors: G
authors: Herzog
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Schlenhoff
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Sonntag
authors: R
authors: R
authors: Wiesendanger