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Magnetization Reversal of Nanoscale Islands: How Size and Shape Affect the Arrhenius Prefactor

S. Krause, G. Herzog, T. Stapelfeldt, L. Berbil-Bautista, M. Bode, E. Y. Vedmedenko, and R. Wiesendanger
Phys. Rev. Lett. 103, 127202 – Published 14 September 2009
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Abstract

The thermal switching behavior of individual in-plane magnetized Fe/W(110) nanoislands is investigated by a combined study of variable-temperature spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscopy and Monte Carlo simulations. Even for islands consisting of less than 100 atoms the magnetization reversal takes place via nucleation and propagation. The Arrhenius prefactor is found to strongly depend on the individual island size and shape, and based on the experimental results a simple model is developed to describe the magnetization reversal in terms of metastable states. Complementary Monte Carlo simulations confirm the model and provide new insight into the microscopic processes involved in magnetization reversal of smallest nanomagnets.

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  • Received 7 July 2009

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.103.127202

©2009 American Physical Society

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Reversal of expectations

Published 14 September 2009

A microscopic study of magnetic nanoislands on a surface challenges the widely held view that all atoms in a relaxing nanoparticle flip their spins in unison.

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Authors & Affiliations

S. Krause*, G. Herzog, T. Stapelfeldt, L. Berbil-Bautista, M. Bode, E. Y. Vedmedenko, and R. Wiesendanger

  • Institute of Applied Physics and Microstructure Research Center, University of Hamburg, Jungiusstrasse 11, 20355 Hamburg, Germany

  • *skrause@physnet.uni-hamburg.de
  • Present address: Materials Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
  • Present address: Center for Nanoscale Materials, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL 60439, USA.

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Issue

Vol. 103, Iss. 12 — 18 September 2009

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