First-principles study on the new eightfold magnetic anisotropy in a two-dimensional oxide

ORAL

Abstract

Engineering magnetic anisotropy in two-dimensional systems has enormous scientific and technological implications. The uniaxial anisotropy universally exhibited by two-dimensional magnets has only two stable spin directions, demanding 180° spin switching between states. We demonstrate a previously unobserved eightfold anisotropy in magnetic SrRuO3 monolayers by inducing a spin reorientation in (SrRuO3)1/(SrTiO3)N superlattices, in which the magnetic easy axis of Ru spins is transformed from uniaxial 〈001〉 direction (N < 3) to eightfold 〈111〉 directions (N ≥ 3). This eightfold anisotropy enables 71° and 109° spin switching in SrRuO3 monolayers, analogous to 71° and 109° polarization switching in ferroelectric BiFeO3. Our first-principle calculations reveal that increasing the SrTiO3 layer thickness induces an emergent correlation-driven orbital ordering, tuning spin-orbit interactions and reorienting the SrRuO3 monolayer easy axis. Our work demonstrates that correlation effects can be exploited to substantially change spin-orbit interactions, stabilizing unprecedented properties in two-dimensional magnets and opening rich opportunities for low-power, multistate device applications.

*
We acknowledge financial support from NSFC.

–

Presenters

  • Hanghui Chen

    • NYU-ECNU Institute of Physics, NYU Shanghai
    • Department of Physics, New York University
    • NYU Shanghai
    • New York University Shanghai
    • NYU-ECNU Institute of Physics, New York University Shanghai

Authors

  • Hanghui Chen

    • NYU-ECNU Institute of Physics, NYU Shanghai
    • Department of Physics, New York University
    • NYU Shanghai
    • New York University Shanghai
    • NYU-ECNU Institute of Physics, New York University Shanghai

  • Zhangzhang Cui

    • National Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory, University of Science and Technology of China

  • Alexander Grutter

    • National Institute of Standards and Technology
    • Center for Neutron Research, National Institute of Standards and Technology
    • NIST Center for Neutron Research, NIST
    • NIST Gaithersburg

  • Hua Zhou

    • X-ray Science Division, Advanced Photon Source,, Argonne National Laboratory
    • Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory
    • Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, IL, 60439, USA
    • Argonne National Laboratory
    • Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Lab
    • Advanced Photon Source

  • Hui Cao

    • National Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory, University of Science and Technology of China

  • Yongqi Dong

    • National Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory, University of Science and Technology of China

  • Dustin Gilbert

    • University of Tennessee
    • Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Tennessee
    • Material Science and Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville

  • Jingyuan Wang

    • Department of Physics, University of California at Irvine

  • Yi-Sheng Liu

    • Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
    • Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

  • Jiaji Ma

    • NYU-ECNU Institute of Physics, NYU Shanghai
    • New York University Shanghai

  • Zhenpeng Hu

    • School of Physics, Nankai University
    • Nankai University

  • Jinghua Guo

    • Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
    • Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

  • Jing Xia

    • University of California Irvine
    • Department of Physics, University of California at Irvine

  • Brian James Kirby

    • NCNR, National Institute of Standards and Technology
    • National Institute of Standards and Technology
    • Center for Neutron Research, National Institute of Standards and Technology
    • NIST Center for Neutron Research, NIST

  • Padraic Shafer

    • Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
    • Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

  • Elke Arenholz

    • Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
    • Lawrence Berkeley Natl Lab
    • Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

  • Xiaofang Zhai

    • School of Physical Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University
    • National Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory, University of Science and Technology of China
    • ShanghaiTech University

  • Yalin Lu

    • National Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory, University of Science and Technology of China