Stabilizing spin systems via symmetrically tailored RKKY interactions

Abstract

The spin of a single atom adsorbed on a substrate is a promising building block for future spintronics and quantum computation schemes. To process spin information and also for increased magnetic stability, these building blocks have to be coupled. For a single atom, a high symmetry of the environment is known to lead to increased spin stability. However, little is known about the role of the nature and symmetry of the magnetic couplings. Here, we study arrays of atomic spins coupled via the ubiquitous Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yosida (RKKY) interaction, focusing on its two anisotropic parts: the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya (DM) and the symmetric anisotropic exchange interactions. First, we show that the high spin stability of an iron trimer can be remotely detected by a nearby iron atom, and how the DM interaction can lead to its destabilization. Second, we find that adding more nearby iron atoms almost always leads to a destabilization of the trimer, due to a non-local effective transverse anisotropy originating in the symmetric anisotropic exchange interaction. This transverse anisotropy can be quenched only for highly symmetric structures, for which the spin lifetime of the array is increased by orders of magnitude.

References in corpus (10)

• Reading and Writing Single-Atom Magnets
• Spin decoherence of magnetic atoms on surfaces
• Spin dynamics of current driven single magnetic adatoms and molecules
• Non-collinear spin states in bottom-up fabricated atomic chains
• Non-locally sensing the magnetic states of nanoscale antiferromagnets with an atomic spin sensor
• Symmetry effects on spin switching of adatoms
• Zero-point spin-fluctuations of single adatoms
• Long spin relaxation times in a transition metal atom in direct contact to a metal substrate
• Chiral magnetism of magnetic adatoms generated by Rashba electrons
• General scheme for stable single and multiatom nanomagnets according to symmetry selection rules

Cited by in corpus (14)

• Colloquium: Atomic spin chains on surfaces
• The chiral biquadratic pair interaction
• Discovery of magnetic single- and triple-Q states in Mn/Re(0001)
• Prospecting chiral multi-site interactions in prototypical magnetic systems
• Long-range focusing of magnetic bound states in superconducting lanthanum
• Graphene Lattices with Embedded Transition-Metal Atoms and Tunable Magnetic Anisotropy Energy: Implications for Spintronic Devices
• Multiple-scattering approach for multi-spin chiral magnetic interactions: Application to the one- and two-dimensional Rashba electron gas
• Majorana bound states in a superconducting Rashba nanowire in the presence of antiferromagnetic order
• Collective topological spin dynamics in a correlated spin glass
• First principles study of topological phase in chains of $3d$ transition metals
• Zero-point quantum swing of magnetic couples
• RKKY interactions mediated by topological states in transition metal doped bismuthene
• Spin, atomic and inter-atomic orbital magnetism induced by 3d nanostructures deposited on transition metal surfaces
• Magnetic order and transport in a spin-fermion model on a superlattice