Coexistence of Antiferromagnetism and Superconductivity in Mn/Nb(110)

Abstract

We report on the structural and magnetic 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 in the Mn thin films, which are found to grow pseudomorphically on the Nb surface. Spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscopy measurements reveal a c(2x2) antiferromagnetic 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 intra- and inter-layer nearest-neighbor antiferromagnetic exchange coupling. These results are expected to be of importance for the design and the investigation of novel superconducting antiferromagnetic spintronic systems.

13 pages, 4 figures

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• Temperature dependence of spin-model parameters in antiferromagnets
• Magnetic flux induced topological superconductivity in magnetic atomic rings
• Temperature tuned Fermi surface topology and segmentation in non-centrosymmetric superconductors
• Scanning tunneling microscopy study of helimagnetic monolayer CrBr2 on s-wave superconductor NbSe2: a topologically trivial system due to weak interfacial coupling
• The Non-collinear Path to Topological Superconductivity
• Influence of Magnetic Order on Proximity-Induced Superconductivity in Mn Layers on Nb(110) from First Principles