Bulk electronic structure of FeRh undergoing metamagnetic transition via hard x-ray photoemission

ORAL

Abstract

In this study changes in the electronic structure accompanying a temperature-induced metamagnetic transition from anti-ferromagnetic to ferromagnetic order are investigated in strained epitaxial FeRh thin films via valence-band and core-level hard x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy with a photon energy of 6 keV. At such high photon energy, the resulting inelastic mean-free paths of the photoemitted electrons and therefore the average probing depths are on the order of 60 {\AA}, corresponding to about 20 unit cells and ensuring truly bulk-sensitive measurement. Clear differences between the AFM and FM states are observed across the entire valence-band spectrum and these are well reproduced using density functional theory. Changes in the Fe 2p core-levels of Fe are also observed and interpreted using Anderson impurity model calculations. These results suggest that significant electronic structure changes are involved in this AFM-FM transition.

–

Authors

  • Alexander Gray

    • Stanford Institute for Materials and Energy Sciences, SLAC Linear Accelerator Laboratory
    • Stanford Institute for Materials and Energy Sciences, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory

  • David Cooke

    • Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley

  • Peter Kruger

    • CNRS–Universit\'e de Bourgogne

  • Catherine Bordel

    • Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley

  • Eric Fullerton

    • Center for Magnetic Recording Research, University of California, San Diego

  • Shigenori Ueda

    • NIMS Beamline Station at SPring-8

  • Keisuke Kobayashi

    • NIMS Beamline Station at SPring-8

  • Frances Hellman

    • Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley

  • Charles Fadley

    • Department of Physics, University of California, Davis