Sensitivity of the magnetic state of a spin lattice on itinerant electron orbital phase

TL;DR

This paper investigates how the orbital phase of conduction electrons influences the magnetic state of a spin lattice, revealing that even minimal perpendicular magnetic fields can significantly affect inter-spin exchange interactions.

Contribution

It demonstrates experimentally that the orbital phase of conduction electrons modulates magnetic interactions in a spin lattice, highlighting the sensitivity to small magnetic fields.

Findings

Perpendicular magnetic fields alter inter-spin exchange magnitude.

Orbital phase impacts magnetic ordering in spin lattices.

Even tiny magnetic fields can influence magnetic states.

Abstract

Spatially extended localized spins can interact via indirect exchange interaction through Friedel oscillations in the Fermi sea. In arrays of localized spins such interaction can lead to a magnetically ordered phase. Without external magnetic field such a phase is well understood via a "two-impurity" Kondo model. Here we employ non-equilibrium transport spectroscopy to investigate the role of the orbital phase of conduction electrons on the magnetic state of a spin lattice. We show experimentally, that even tiniest perpendicular magnetic field can influence the magnitude of the inter-spin magnetic exchange.