A Monte Carlo Study of Magnetically Frustrated Chromium

ORAL

Abstract

As the thickness of engineered films decreases exotic magnetic configurations can appear because of boundary conditions, alloying, or metastable crystallographic phases. Characterizing the ground state of such films is imperative to building new and better magnetic devices and gaining a fundamental understanding of magnetic materials. Spin-polarized scanning tunnelling microscopy experiments have recently revealed unexpected types of magnetic order in a thin film of chromium grown epitaxially on gold. In this talk, I will discuss the characterization of the magnetic ground states of this film via classical Monte Carlo simulations. By modelling the film as an Ising system with a variable degree of lattice distortion and diluting with non-magnetic sites the simulations replicate the complexity of the magnetic ordering observed in the experimental data. Comparing the results of simulation and experiment we conclude that the observed magnetic order is a result of substantial gold inter-alloying combined with geometric frustration, making the ordered state highly sensitive to the degree of lattice distortion.

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Authors

  • Andrew Macdonald

    Univ British Columbia

  • Sarah Burke

    Department of Physics and Astronomy, Department of Chemistry, Univ. of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada, Department of Physics \& Astronomy and Department of Chemistry, University of British Columbia, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of British Columbia; Quantum Matter Institute, University of British Columbia, University of British Columbia, Univ British Columbia

  • Doug Bonn

    The University of British Columbia, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of British Columbia; Quantum Matter Institute, University of British Columbia, Univ British Columbia, University of British Columbia

  • Yan Pennec

    Univ British Columbia