Kondo Decoherence: Finding the Right Spin Model for Iron Impurities in Gold and Silver

T. A. Costi, L. Bergqvist, A. Weichselbaum, J. von Delft, T. Micklitz, A. Rosch, P. Mavropoulos, P. H. Dederichs, F. Mallet, L. Saminadayar, and C. Bäuerle
Phys. Rev. Lett. 102, 056802 – Published 3 February 2009

Abstract

We exploit the decoherence of electrons due to magnetic impurities, studied via weak localization, to resolve a long-standing question concerning the classic Kondo systems of Fe impurities in the noble metals gold and silver: which Kondo-type model yields a realistic description of the relevant multiple bands, spin, and orbital degrees of freedom? Previous studies suggest a fully screened spin S Kondo model, but the value of S remained ambiguous. We perform density functional theory calculations that suggest S=3/2. We also compare previous and new measurements of both the resistivity and decoherence rate in quasi-one-dimensional wires to numerical renormalization group predictions for S=1/2, 1, and 3/2, finding excellent agreement for S=3/2.

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  • Received 8 October 2008

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.102.056802

©2009 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

T. A. Costi1,2, L. Bergqvist1, A. Weichselbaum3, J. von Delft3, T. Micklitz4,7, A. Rosch4, P. Mavropoulos1,2, P. H. Dederichs1, F. Mallet5, L. Saminadayar5,6, and C. Bäuerle5

  • 1Institut für Festkörperforschung, Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52425 Jülich, Germany
  • 2Institute for Advanced Simulation, Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52425 Jülich, Germany
  • 3Physics Department, Arnold Sommerfeld Center for Theoretical Physics and Center for NanoScience, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 80333 München, Germany
  • 4Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of Cologne, 50937 Cologne, Germany
  • 5Institut Néel-CNRS and Université Joseph Fourier, 38042 Grenoble, France
  • 6Institut Universitaire de France, 103 boulevard Saint-Michel, 75005 Paris, France
  • 7Materials Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois 60439, USA

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Vol. 102, Iss. 5 — 6 February 2009

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