Luca Persichetti

Magnetic remanence in single atoms

Stable magnets from single atoms An important goal in molecular magnetism is to create a permanent magnet from a single atom. Metal atoms adsorbed on surfaces can develop strong magnetization in an applied field (paramagnetism). Donati et al. show that single holmium atoms adsorbed on a magnesium oxide film grown on a silver substrate show residual magnetism for temperatures up to 30 K and bistabilty that lasts for 1500 s at 10 K (see the Perspective by Khajetoorians and Heinrich). The atom avoids spin relaxation by a combination of quantum-state symmetry and by the oxide film preventing the spin from interacting with the underlying metal via tunneling. Science, this issue p. 318; see also p. 296 A single holmium atom on a magnesium oxide film can retain its magnetic moment up to 30 kelvin. [Also see Perspective by Khajetoorians and Heinrich] A permanent magnet retains a substantial fraction of its saturation magnetization in the absence of an external magnetic field. Realizing magnetic remanence in a single atom allows for storing and processing information in the smallest unit of matter. We show that individual holmium (Ho) atoms adsorbed on ultrathin MgO(100) layers on Ag(100) exhibit magnetic remanence up to a temperature of 30 kelvin and a relaxation time of 1500 seconds at 10 kelvin. This extraordinary stability is achieved by the realization of a symmetry-protected magnetic ground state and by decoupling the Ho spin from the underlying metal by a tunnel barrier.

Complex Magnetic Exchange Coupling between Co Nanostructures and Ni(111) across Epitaxial Graphene.

We report on the magnetic coupling between isolated Co atoms as well as small Co islands and Ni(111) mediated by an epitaxial graphene layer. X-ray magnetic circular dichroism and scanning tunneling microscopy combined with density functional theory calculations reveal that Co atoms occupy two distinct adsorption sites, with different magnetic coupling to the underlying Ni(111) surface. We further report a transition from an antiferromagnetic to a ferromagnetic coupling with increasing Co cluster size. Our results highlight the extreme sensitivity of the exchange interaction mediated by graphene to the adsorption site and to the in-plane coordination of the magnetic atoms.

van der Waals Heteroepitaxy of Germanene Islands on Graphite.

We fabricated flat, two-dimensional germanium sheets showing a honeycomb lattice that matches that of germanene by depositing submonolayers of Ge on graphite at room temperature and subsequent annealing to 350 °C. Scanning tunneling microscopy shows that the germanene islands have a small buckling with no atomic reconstruction and does not give any hints for alloy formation and hybridization with the substrate. Our density functional theory calculations of the structural properties agree well with our experimental findings and indicate that the germanene sheet interacts only weakly with the substrate underneath. Our band structure calculations confirm that the Dirac cone of free-standing germanene is preserved for layers supported on graphite. The germanene islands show a small but characteristic charge transfer with the graphite substrate which is predicted by our ab initio simulations in excellent agreement with scanning tunneling spectroscopy measurements.

Heteroepitaxy of Ge on singular and vicinal Si surfaces: elastic field symmetry and nanostructure growth

Starting with the basic definition, a short description of a few relevant physical quantities playing a role in the growth process of heteroepitaxial strained systems, is provided. As such, the paper is not meant to be a comprehensive survey but to present a connection between the Stranski-Krastanov mechanism of nanostructure formation and the basic principles of nucleation and growth. The elastic field is described in the context of continuum elasticity theory, using either analytical models or numerical simulations. The results are compared with selected experimental results obtained on GeSi nanostructures. In particular, by tuning the value of quantities such as vicinality, substrate orientation and symmetry of the diffusion field, we elucidate how anisotropic elastic interactions determine shape, size, lateral distribution and composition of quantum dots.

Ripple-to-dome transition: The growth evolution of Ge on vicinal Si(1 1 10) surface

We present a detailed scanning tunneling microscopy study which describes the morphological transition from ripple-to-dome islands during the growth of Ge on the vicinal Si 1 1 10 surface. Our experimental results show that the shape evolution of Ge islands on this surface is markedly different from that on the flat Si 001 substrate and is accomplished by agglomeration and coalescence of several ripples. By using published data of surface energy and finite-element analysis, we provide a meaningful explanation of our experimental observations.

Hug-like island growth of Ge on strained vicinal Si(111) surfaces

We examine the structure and the evolution of Ge islands epitaxially grown on vicinal Si(111) surfaces by scanning tunneling microscopy. Contrary to what is observed on the singular surface, three-dimensional Ge nanoislands form directly through the elastic relaxation of step-edge protrusions during the unstable step-flow growth. As the substrate misorientation is increased, the islands undergo a shape transformation which is driven by surface energy minimization and controlled by the miscut angle. Using finite element simulations, we show that the dynamics of islanding observed in the experiment results from the anisotropy of the strain relaxation.

Spin currents during ultrafast demagnetization of ferromagnetic bilayers

Ultrafast spin currents induced by femtosecond laser excitation of ferromagnetic metals have been found to contribute to sub-picosecond demagnetization, and to cause a transient enhancement of the magnetization of the bottom Fe layer in a Ni/Ru/Fe layered structure. We analyze the ultrafast magnetization dynamics in such layered structures by element- and femtosecond time-resolved x-ray magnetic circular dichroism, for different Ni and Fe layer thicknesses, Ru and Ta interlayers, and by varying the pump laser fluence. While we do not observe the transient enhancement of the magnetization in Ni/Ru/Fe discovered previously, we do find a reduced demagnetization of the Fe layer compared to a Ni/Ta/Fe layered structure. In the latter, the spin-scattering Ta layer suppresses spin currents from the Ni layer into Fe, consistent with previous results. Any spin current arriving in the lower Fe layer will counteract other, local demagnetization mechanisms such as phonon-mediated spin-flip scattering. We find by increasing the Ni and Fe layer thicknesses in Ni/Ru/Fe a decreasing effect of spin currents on the buried Fe layer, consistent with a mean free path of the laser-induced spin currents of just a few nm. Our results suggest that in order to utilize ultrafast spin currents in an efficient manner, the sample design has to be optimized with these considerations in mind, and further studies clarifying the role of interfaces in the employed layered structures are needed.

Beneficial defects: exploiting the intrinsic polishing-induced wafer roughness for the catalyst-free growth of Ge in-plane nanowires.

We outline a metal-free fabrication route of in-plane Ge nanowires on Ge(001) substrates. By positively exploiting the polishing-induced defects of standard-quality commercial Ge(001) wafers, micrometer-length wires are grown by physical vapor deposition in ultra-high-vacuum environment. The shape of the wires can be tailored by the epitaxial strain induced by subsequent Si deposition, determining a progressive transformation of the wires in SiGe faceted quantum dots. This shape transition is described by finite element simulations of continuous elasticity and gives hints on the equilibrium shape of nanocrystals in the presence of tensile epitaxial strain.PACS81.07.Gf; 68.35.bg; 68.35.bj; 62.23.Eg

Order and randomness in Kolmogorov-Johnson-Mehl-Avrami-type phase transitions

The distribution of points on a 2D domain influences the kinetics of its coverage when a growth law is attached at each point. This implies that the kinetics of space filling can be adopted as a descriptor of the degree of order of the initial point distribution. In this paper, the degree of order of an initial array of points has been changed following two paths: (i) from a regular square lattice, through increasing displacement assigned to each point, towards Poissonian disorder; (ii) from a Poissonian distribution, by introducing a hard core potential with increasing correlation lengths, towards a more ordered lattice. A linear growth law has been attached to the points of the initial array and the kinetics X(X(e)), where X(e) is the extended coverage as defined in the Kolmogorov-Johnson-Mehl-Avrami model, has been monitored. The quantitative analysis has been performed by fitting the kinetics to an equation which we propose for the first time and which has proved to be, in fact, highly suitable for the purpose. The results demonstrate that the gross of variation from order to disorder is obtained for point displacements, u, of the order of a, the latter being the constant of a square lattice. Vice versa, the introduction of a correlation distance in a random distribution provokes at most an order limited to the first neighbors and no real order can ever be reached. Others descriptors have been investigated, all confirming our results. We also developed an analytical description based on the use of the f-functions, as have been defined by Van Kampen, up to the second order terms. Such a description has been shown to work well for u/a < 1 within an interval ΔX(e) which depends on the ϵ value.

Folding and stacking defects of graphene flakes probed by electron nanobeam

Combining nanoscale imaging with local electron spectroscopy and diffraction has provided direct information on folding and stacking defects of graphene flakes produced by unrolled multi-walled carbon nanotubes. Structural data obtained by nanoarea electron diffraction complemented with systematic electron energy loss spectroscopy measurements of the surface plasmon losses of single flakes show the presence of flat bilayer regions coexisting with folded areas where the topology of buckled graphene resembles that of warped carbon nanostructures.