Abstract
Two-dimensional systems, such as ultrathin epitaxial films and superlattices, display magnetic properties distinct from bulk materials1. A challenging aim of current research in magnetism is to explore structures of still lower dimensionality2,3,4,5,6. As the dimensionality of a physical system is reduced, magnetic ordering tends to decrease as fluctuations become relatively more important7. Spin lattice models predict that an infinite one-dimensional linear chain with short-range magnetic interactions spontaneously breaks up into segments with different orientation of the magnetization, thereby prohibiting long-range ferromagnetic order at a finite temperature7,8,9. These models, however, do not take into account kinetic barriers to reaching equilibrium or interactions with the substrates that support the one-dimensional nanostructures. Here we demonstrate the existence of both short- and long-range ferromagnetic order for one-dimensional monatomic chains of Co constructed on a Pt substrate. We find evidence that the monatomic chains consist of thermally fluctuating segments of ferromagnetically coupled atoms which, below a threshold temperature, evolve into a ferromagnetic long-range-ordered state owing to the presence of anisotropy barriers. The Co chains are characterized by large localized orbital moments and correspondingly large magnetic anisotropy energies compared to two-dimensional films and bulk Co.
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Acknowledgements
We thank P. Ohresser, S. S. Dhesi, K. Larsson and N. B. Brookes of beamline ID12B of the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility in Grenoble for their assistance during the experiment.
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Gambardella, P., Dallmeyer, A., Maiti, K. et al. Ferromagnetism in one-dimensional monatomic metal chains. Nature 416, 301–304 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1038/416301a
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/416301a
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