Direct probing of the exchange interaction at buried interfaces.
The fundamental interactions between magnetic moments at interfaces have an important impact on the properties of layered magnetic structures. Hence, a direct probing of these interactions is highly desirable for understanding a wide range of phenomena in low-dimensional solids. Here we propose a method for probing the magnetic exchange interaction at buried interfaces using spin-polarized electrons and taking advantage of the collective nature of elementary magnetic excitations (magnons). We demonstrate that, for the case of weak coupling at the interface, the low-energy magnon mode is mainly localized at the interface. Because this mode has the longest lifetime of the modes and has a finite spectral weight across the layers on top, it can be probed by electrons. A comparison of experimental data and first-principles calculations leads to the determination of the interface exchange parameters. This method may help the development of spectroscopy of buried magnetic interfaces.
Max-Planck-Institut für Mikrostrukturphysik, Weinberg 2, 06120 Halle, Germany.
Kh
Kh
Zakeri
T-H
TH
Chuang
A
A
Ernst
L M
LM
Sandratskii
P
P
Buczek
H J
HJ
Qin
Y
Y
Zhang
J
J
Kirschner