Observation of Mermin-Wagner behavior in LaFeO${}_3$/SrTiO${}_3$ superlattices

Abstract

Two-dimensional magnetic materials attract a lot of attention since they potentially exhibit new magnetic properties due to, e.g., strongly enhanced spin fluctuations. However, the suppression of the long-range magnetic order in two dimensions due to long-wavelength spin fluctuations, as suggested by the Mermin-Wagner theorem, has been questioned for finite-size laboratory samples. Here we study the magnetic properties of a dimensional crossover in superlattices composed of the antiferromagnetic LaFeO${}_3$ and SrTiO${}_3$ that, thanks to their large lateral size, allowed examination using a sensitive magnetic probe - muon spin rotation spectroscopy. We show that the iron electronic moments in superlattices with 3 and 2 monolayers of LaFeO${}_3$ exhibit a static antiferromagnetic order. In contrast, in the superlattices with single LaFeO${}_3$ monolayer, the moments do not order and fluctuate to the lowest measured temperature as expected from the Mermin-Wagner theorem. Our work shows how dimensionality can be used to tune the magnetic properties of ultrathin films.

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