TY  - JOUR
AU  - Bode, M.
AU  - Heide, M.
AU  - von Bergmann, K.
AU  - Ferriani, P.
AU  - Heinze, S.
AU  - Bihlmayer, G.
AU  - Kubetzka, A.
AU  - Pietzsch, O.
AU  - Blügel, S.
AU  - Wiesendanger, R.
TI  - Chiral magnetic order at surfaces driven by inversion asymmetry
JO  - Nature 
VL  - 447
SN  - 0028-0836
CY  - London [u.a.]
PB  - Nature Publising Group
M1  - PreJuSER-56495
SP  - 190 - 193
PY  - 2007
N1  - Record converted from VDB: 12.11.2012
AB  - Chirality is a fascinating phenomenon that can manifest itself in subtle ways, for example in biochemistry (in the observed single-handedness of biomolecules) and in particle physics (in the charge-parity violation of electroweak interactions). In condensed matter, magnetic materials can also display single-handed, or homochiral, spin structures. This may be caused by the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction, which arises from spin-orbit scattering of electrons in an inversion-asymmetric crystal field. This effect is typically irrelevant in bulk metals as their crystals are inversion symmetric. However, low-dimensional systems lack structural inversion symmetry, so that homochiral spin structures may occur. Here we report the observation of magnetic order of a specific chirality in a single atomic layer of manganese on a tungsten (110) substrate. Spin-polarized scanning tunnelling microscopy reveals that adjacent spins are not perfectly antiferromagnetic but slightly canted, resulting in a spin spiral structure with a period of about 12 nm. We show by quantitative theory that this chiral order is caused by the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction and leads to a left-rotating spin cycloid. Our findings confirm the significance of this interaction for magnets in reduced dimensions. Chirality in nanoscale magnets may play a crucial role in spintronic devices, where the spin rather than the charge of an electron is used for data transmission and manipulation. For instance, a spin-polarized current flowing through chiral magnetic structures will exert a spin-torque on the magnetic structure, causing a variety of excitations or manipulations of the magnetization and giving rise to microwave emission, magnetization switching, or magnetic motors.
KW  - J (WoSType)
LB  - PUB:(DE-HGF)16
C6  - pmid:17495922
UR  - <Go to ISI:>//WOS:000246338700039
DO  - DOI:10.1038/nature05802
UR  - https://juser.fz-juelich.de/record/56495
ER  -