Coexistence of antiferromagnetism and superconductivity in Mn/Nb(110)
[ 1 ] Instytut Fizyki, Wydział Inżynierii Materiałowej i Fizyki Technicznej, Politechnika Poznańska | [ P ] employee
2022
scientific article
english
- antiferromagnetism
- proximity effect
- spin texture
- superconductivity
EN We report on the structural, magnetic, and superconducting properties of single and double atomic layers of Mn on a clean and unreconstructed Nb(110) substrate. Low-temperature scanning tunneling spectroscopy measurements reveal a proximity-induced superconducting state and in-gap Yu-Shiba-Rusinov bands in the Mn thin films, which are found to grow pseudomorphically on the Nb surface. Spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscopy measurements reveal a c(2×2) antiferromagnetic (AFM) order in the Mn layers, with an out-of-plane spin orientation. First-principles density functional theory calculations confirm the experimentally observed magnetic state, which is understood as the consequence of a strong intralayer and interlayer nearest-neighbor AFM exchange coupling. These results are expected to be of importance for the design of superconducting AFM spintronic systems and quantum information technologies.
10.03.2022
L100406-1 - L100406-6
Article Number: L100406
University of Hamburg (Germany)
Czasopismo hydrydowe
140
3,7