Finite size effects in chains of antiferromagnetically coupled spins

The current race into miniaturization of magnetic devices for information storage and processing is reaching the ultimate limit of few atoms per magnetic unit, a promising new route being offered by the exploitation of the spins of atoms organized in short chains. Functionalizing such spin segments requires a through characterization of their spin structure. To that purpose, we used polarized neutron diffraction on D3 and D19 to accurately measure the spin distribution along a chain of eight antiferromagnetically coupled magnetic ions. Our results show that the parity and topology of the chain govern the spin distribution under an applied magnetic field.

GUIDI T.;  GILLON B.;  MASON S.A.;  STUNAULT A.;  GARLATTI E.;  CARRETTA S.;  SANTINI P.;  CACIUFFO Roberto;  VAN SLAGEREN J.;  TIMCO G:;  WINPENNY R.; 

2016-06-22

Institut Laue-Langevin

JRC98441

https://www.ill.eu/fileadmin/users_files/Annual_Report/AR-15/index.html,    https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC98441,