Strain and structure driven complex magnetic ordering of a CoO overlayer on Ir(100)

TL;DR

This study uses ab-initio calculations to explore how strain and structural factors influence complex magnetic ordering in ultrathin CoO films on Ir(100), revealing a relationship between local structure and magnetic patterns.

Contribution

It demonstrates the impact of local structural properties and substrate mismatch on magnetic ordering in ultrathin CoO films, highlighting the complexity of magnetic phenomena driven by strain and structure.

Findings

Magnetic order varies with local structural properties.

Mismatch between CoO film and substrate causes complex long-range magnetic order.

Alternating ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic segments observed.

Abstract

We have investigated the magnetic ordering in the ultrathin c(10$\times$2) CoO(111) film supported on Ir(100) on the basis of ab-initio calculations. We find a close relationship between the local structural properties of the oxide film and the induced magnetic order, leading to alternating ferromagnetically and anti-ferromagnetically ordered segments. While the local magnetic order is directly related to the geometric position of the Co atoms, the mismatch between the CoO film and the Ir substrate leads to a complex long-range order of the oxide.