Quantum Spin Holography with Surface State Electrons

In a recent paper Moon and coworkers [C.R. Moon et al., Nature Nanotechnology 4, 167 (2009)] have shown that the single-atom limit for information storage density can be overcome by using the coherence of electrons in a two-dimensional electron gas to produce quantum holograms comprised of individually manipulated molecules projecting an electronic pattern onto a portion of a surface. We propose to further extend the concept by introducing quantum spin holography - a version of quantum holographic encoding allowing to store the information in two spin channels independently.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure

Confined bulk states as a long-range sensor for impurities and a transfer channel for quantum information

We show that confinement of bulk electrons can be observed at low-dimensional surface structures and can serve as a long-range sensor for the magnetism and electronic properties of single impurities or as a quantum information transfer channel with large coherence lengths. Our ab initio calculations reveal oscillations of electron density in magnetic chains on metallic surfaces and help to unambiguously identify the electrons involved as bulk electrons. We furthermore discuss the possibility of utilizing bulk state confinement to transfer quantum information, encoded in an atom's species or spin, across distances of several nanometers with high efficiency.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figure

Relativistic peculiarities at stepped surfaces: surprising energetics and unexpected diffusion patterns

We revive intriguing, yet still unexplained, experimental results of Ehrlich and co-workers [ Phys. Rev. Lett. 77 1334 (1996); Phys. Rev. Lett. 67 2509 (1991)] who have observed, that 5d adatoms distributed on (111) surface islands of 5d metals favor the adsorption at the cluster's edge rather than at the cluster's interior, which lies in contrast with the behavior of 4d and 3d elements. Our state of the art ab initio calculations demonstrate that such behavior is a direct consequence of the relativity of 5d metals.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure

Tailoring exchange interactions in engineered nanostructures: Ab initio study

We present a novel approach to spin manipulation in atomic-scale nanostructures. Our ab initio calculations clearly demonstrate that it is possible to tune magnetic properties of sub-nanometer structures by adjusting the geometry of the system. By the example of two surface-based systems we demonstrate that (i) the magnetic moment of a single adatom coupled to a buried magnetic Co layer can be stabilized in either a ferromagnetic or an antiferromagnetic configuration depending on the spacer thickness. It is found that a buried Co layer has a profound effect on the exchange interaction between two magnetic impurities on the surface. (ii) The exchange interaction between magnetic adatoms can be manipulated by introducing artificial nonmagnetic Cu chains to link them.Comment: 4 pages, submitted to PR

Potential Energy Driven Spin Manipulation via a Controllable Hydrogen Ligand

Spin-bearing molecules can be stabilized on surfaces and in junctions with desirable properties such as a net spin that can be adjusted by external stimuli. Using scanning probes, initial and final spin states can be deduced from topographic or spectroscopic data, but how the system transitioned between these states is largely unknown. Here we address this question by manipulating the total spin of magnetic cobalt hydride complexes on a corrugated boron nitride surface with a hydrogen- functionalized scanning probe tip by simultaneously tracking force and conductance. When the additional hydrogen ligand is brought close to the cobalt monohydride, switching between a corre- lated S = 1 /2 Kondo state, where host electrons screen the magnetic moment, and a S = 1 state with magnetocrystalline anisotropy is observed. We show that the total spin changes when the system is transferred onto a new potential energy surface defined by the position of the hydrogen in the junction. These results show how and why chemically functionalized tips are an effective tool to manipulate adatoms and molecules, and a promising new method to selectively tune spin systems

Tailoring exchange interactions in engineered nanostructures: Ab initio study

We present a novel approach to spin manipulation in atomic-scale nanostructures. Our ab initio calculations clearly demonstrate that it is possible to tune magnetic properties of sub-nanometer structures by adjusting the geometry of the system. By the example of two surface-based systems we demonstrate that (i) the magnetic moment of a single adatom coupled to a buried magnetic Co layer can be stabilized in either a ferromagnetic or an antiferromagnetic configuration depending on the spacer thickness. It is found that a buried Co layer has a profound effect on the exchange interaction between two magnetic impurities on the surface. (ii) The exchange interaction between magnetic adatoms can be manipulated by introducing artificial nonmagnetic Cu chains to link them.Comment: 4 pages, submitted to PR