Superconductivity of lanthanum revisited: enhanced critical temperature in the clean limit

The thickness dependence of the superconducting energy gap $\Delta_{\rm{La}}$ of double hexagonally close packed (dhcp) lanthanum islands grown on W(110) is studied by scanning tunneling spectroscopy, from the bulk to the thin film limit. Superconductivity is suppressed by the boundary conditions for the superconducting wavefunction at the surface and W/La interface, leading to a linear decrease of the critical temperature $T_c$ as a function of the inverse film thickness. For thick, bulk-like films, $\Delta_{\rm{La}}$ and $T_c$ are 40% larger as compared to literature values of dhcp La measured by other techniques. This finding is reconciled by examining the effects of surface contamination as probed by modifications of the surface state, suggesting that the large $T_c$ originates in the superior purity of the samples investigated here.Comment: 14 pages, 7 figure

The properties of isolated chiral skyrmions in thin magnetic films

Axisymmetric solitonic states (chiral skyrmions) have been predicted theoretically more than two decades ago. However, until recently they have been observed in a form of skyrmionic condensates (hexagonal lattices and other mesophases). In this paper we report experimental and theoretical investigations of isolated chiral skyrmions discovered in PdFe/Ir(111) bilayers two years ago (Science 341 , 636 (2013)). The results of spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscopy analyzed within the continuum and discrete models provide a consistent description of isolated skyrmions in thin layers. The existence region of chiral skyrmions is restricted by strip-out instabilities at low fields and a collapse at high fields. We demonstrate that the same equations describe axisymmetric localized states in all condensed matter systems with broken mirror symmetry, and thus our findings establish basic properties of isolated skyrmions common for chiral liquid crystals, different classes of noncentrosymmetric magnets, ferroelectrics, and multiferroics.Comment: 12 pages, 12 figure

Itinerant Nature of Atom-Magnetization Excitation by Tunneling Electrons

We have performed single-atom magnetization curve (SAMC) measurements and inelastic scanning tunneling spectroscopy (ISTS) on individual Fe atoms on a Cu(111) surface. The SAMCs show a broad distribution of magnetic moments with \unit[3.5]{\mu_{\rm B}} being the mean value. ISTS reveals a magnetization excitation with a lifetime of \unit[200]{fsec} which decreases by a factor of two upon application of a magnetic field of \unit[12]{T}. The experimental observations are quantitatively explained by the decay of the magnetization excitation into Stoner modes of the itinerant electron system as shown by newly developed theoretical modeling.Comment: 3 Figures, Supplement not included, updated version after revisio

Stochastic dynamics and pattern formation of geometrically confined skyrmions

Ensembles of magnetic skyrmions in confined geometries are shown to exhibit thermally driven motion on two different time scales. The intrinsic fluctuating dynamics (t ∼ 1 ps) are governed by short-range symmetric and antisymmetric exchange interactions, whereas the long-time limit (t ≳ 10 ns) is determined by the coaction of skyrmion–skyrmion-repulsion and the system’s geometry. Micromagnetic simulations for realistic island shapes and sizes are performed and analyzed, indicating the special importance of skyrmion dynamics at finite temperatures. We demonstrate how the competition between skyrmion mobility and observation time directly affects the addressability of skyrmionic bits, which is a key challenge on the path of developing skyrmion-based room-temperature applications. The presented quasiparticle Monte Carlo approach offers a computationally efficient description of the diffusive motion of skyrmion ensembles in confined geometries, like racetrack memory setups

Magnetic Scanning Tunneling Microscopy with a Two-Terminal Non-Magnetic Tip: Quantitative Results

We report numerical simulation result of a recently proposed \{P. Bruno, Phys. Rev. Lett {\bf 79}, 4593, (1997)\} approach to perform magnetic scanning tunneling microscopy with a two terminal non-magnetic tip. It is based upon the spin asymmetry effect of the tunneling current between a ferromagnetic surface and a two-terminal non-magnetic tip. The spin asymmetry effect is due to the spin-orbit scattering in the tip. The effect can be viewed as a Mott scattering of tunneling electrons within the tip. To obtain quantitative results we perform numerical simulation within the single band tight binding model, using recursive Green function method and Landauer-B\"uttiker formula for conductance. A new model has been developed to take into account the spin-orbit scattering off the impurities within the single-band tight-binding model. We show that the spin-asymmetry effect is most prominent when the device is in quasi-ballistic regime and the typical value of spin asymmetry is about 5%.Comment: 5 pages, Late

Intra- and Interband Electron Scattering in the Complex Hybrid Topological Insulator Bismuth Bilayer on Bi2_2Se3_3

The band structure, intra- and interband scattering processes of the electrons at the surface of a bismuth-bilayer on Bi$_2$Se$_3$ have been experimentally investigated by low-temperature Fourier-transform scanning tunneling spectroscopy. The observed complex quasiparticle interference patterns are compared to a simulation based on the spin-dependent joint density of states approach using the surface-localized spectral function calculated from first principles as the only input. Thereby, the origin of the quasiparticle interferences can be traced back to intraband scattering in the bismuth bilayer valence band and Bi$_2$Se$_3$ conduction band, and to interband scattering between the two-dimensional topological state and the bismuth-bilayer valence band. The investigation reveals that the bilayer band gap, which is predicted to host one-dimensional topological states at the edges of the bilayer, is pushed several hundred milli-electronvolts above the Fermi level. This result is rationalized by an electron transfer from the bilayer to Bi$_2$Se$_3$ which also leads to a two-dimensional electron state in the Bi$_2$Se$_3$ conduction band with a strong Rashba spin-splitting, coexisting with the topological state and bilayer valence band.Comment: 11 pages, 5 figure

Weyl-Gauging and Conformal Invariance

Scale-invariant actions in arbitrary dimensions are investigated in curved space to clarify the relation between scale-, Weyl- and conformal invariance on the classical level. The global Weyl-group is gauged. Then the class of actions is determined for which Weyl-gauging may be replaced by a suitable coupling to the curvature (Ricci gauging). It is shown that this class is exactly the class of actions which are conformally invariant in flat space. The procedure yields a simple algebraic criterion for conformal invariance and produces the improved energy-momentum tensor in conformally invariant theories in a systematic way. It also provides a simple and fundamental connection between Weyl-anomalies and central extensions in two dimensions. In particular, the subset of scale-invariant Lagrangians for fields of arbitrary spin, in any dimension, which are conformally invariant is given. An example of a quadratic action for which scale-invariance does not imply conformal invariance is constructed.Comment: Extended version including discussion of arbitrary spin in any dimensions. References adde

Direct comparison between potential landscape and local density of states in a disordered two-dimensional electron system

The local density of states (LDOS) of the adsorbate induced two-dimensional electron system (2DES) on n-InAs(110) is studied by low-temperature scanning tunneling spectroscopy. The LDOS exhibits irregular structures with fluctuation lengths decreasing with increasing energy. Fourier transformation reveals that the k-values of the unperturbed 2DES dominate the LDOS, but additional lower k-values contribute significantly. To clarify the origin of the additional k-space intensity, we measure the potential landscape of the same 2DES area with the help of the tip induced quantum dot. This allows to calculate the expected LDOS from the single particle Schroedinger equation and to directly compare it with the measured one. Reasonable correspondance between calculated and measured LDOS is found.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures, submitted to PR