The Interplay of Electronic Properties and Magnetic Anisotropy in Quantum Dots

Tunability of magnetic anisotropy (MA) in nanostructures is a fascinating topic, for both fundamental understanding of nanomagnetism and possible spintronic applications. While there have been preceding efforts to systematically study the MA in bulk [1], we still lack a fundamental understanding of that in magnetic quantum dots (QDs). We first explore electronic properties of nonmagnetic QDs that can be significantly altered from the bulk-state depending upon the material and geometry. Focusing on II-VI materials forming both cubic and non-cubic QDs, we confirm qualitatively different energy spectra between different materials [2]. These findings can guide the control of MA in magnetic QDs. Supported by DOE-BES, NSF-DMR, AFOSR-DCT, U.S. ONR, and NSF-ECCS. \\[4pt] [1] X. Liu, Y. Sasaki and J. K. Furdyna, Phys. Rev. B 67, 205204 (2004). \\[0pt] [2] K. V\'yborn\'y, J.E. Han, R. Oszwadowski, I. \v{Z}uti\'c, and A. G. Petukhov, preprint (2011).