Electronic tuneability of a structurally rigid surface intermetallic and Kondo lattice: CePt5_5 / Pt(111)

We present an extensive study of structure, composition, electronic and magnetic properties of Ce--Pt surface intermetallic phases on Pt(111) as a function of their thickness. The sequence of structural phases appearing in low energy electron diffraction (LEED) may invariably be attributed to a single underlying intermetallic atomic lattice. Findings from both microscopic and spectroscopic methods, respectively, prove compatible with CePt$_5$ formation when their characteristic probing depth is adequately taken into account. The intermetallic film thickness serves as an effective tuning parameter which brings about characteristic variations of the Cerium valence and related properties. Soft x-ray absorption (XAS) and magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) prove well suited to trace the changing Ce valence and to assess relevant aspects of Kondo physics in the CePt$_5$ surface intermetallic. We find characteristic Kondo scales of the order of 10$^2$ K and evidence for considerable magnetic Kondo screening of the local Ce $4f$ moments. CePt$_5$/Pt(111) and related systems therefore appear to be promising candidates for further studies of low-dimensional Kondo lattices at surfaces.Comment: 14 pages, 11 figure

Non-hysteretic first-order phase transition with large latent heat and giant low-field magnetocaloric effect

First-order magnetic transitions (FOMTs) with a large discontinuity in magnetization are highly sought in the development of advanced functional magnetic materials. Isosymmetric magnetoelastic FOMTs that do not perturb crystal symmetry are especially rare, and only a handful of material families, almost exclusively transition metal-based, are known to exhibit them. Yet, here we report a surprising isosymmetric FOMT in a rare-earth intermetallic, Eu2In. What makes this transition in Eu2In even more remarkable is that it is associated with a large latent heat and an exceptionally high magnetocaloric effect in low magnetic fields, but with tiny lattice discontinuities and negligible hysteresis. An active role of the Eu-5d and In-4p states and a rather unique electronic structure borne by In to Eu charge transfer, altogether result in an unusual exchange mechanism that both sets the transition in motion and unveils an approach toward developing specific magnetic functionalities ad libitum

Quadrupolar XMCD at the Fe K -edge in Fe phthalocyanine film on Au: Insight into the magnetic ground state

Under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution license.-- et al.The observation of an anomalous quadrupolar signal in x-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) at the Fe K-edge of iron phthalocyanine (FePc) films is reported. All ground states previously suggested for FePc are incompatible with the experimental data. Based on ab initio molecular orbital multiplet calculations of the isolated FePc molecule, we propose a model for the magnetic ground state of the FePc film that explains the XMCD data and reproduces the observed values of the orbital moments in the perpendicular and planar directions.The financial support of the Spanish financial agency MINECO MAT2011-23791 and MAT2014-53921-R, Aragonese DGA-IMANA E34 (co-funded by Fondo Social Europeo), and European Union FEDER funds is acknowledged. The research at UCSD was supported by the Office of Basic Energy Science, US Department of Energy, BES-DMS, funded by the Department of Energy Office of Basic Energy Science, DMR, under Grant No. DE FG03 87ER-45332.Peer Reviewe

Structural, chemical and magnetic properties of secondary phases in Co-doped ZnO

We have utilized a comprehensive set of experimental techniques such as transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and synchrotron-based x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and the respective x-ray linear dichroism and x-ray magnetic circular dichroism to characterize the correlation of structural, chemical and magnetic properties of Co-doped ZnO samples. It can be established on a quantitative basis that the superparamagnetic (SPM) behavior observed by integral superconducting quantum interference device magnetometry is not an intrinsic property of the material but stems from precipitations of metallic Co. Their presence is revealed by TEM as well as XAS. Annealing procedures for these SPM samples were also studied, and the observed changes in the magnetic properties found to be due to a chemical reduction or oxidation of the metallic Co species