Analysis of the Kondo effect in ferromagnetic atomic-sized contacts

TL;DR

This paper presents a statistical analysis of the Kondo effect in ferromagnetic atomic contacts made of Ni, Co, and Fe, revealing material-specific differences and insights into the influence of geometry and valence on Kondo screening.

Contribution

It provides the first comprehensive statistical study combining experiments and theory on the Kondo effect in ferromagnetic atomic contacts, highlighting material-dependent behaviors.

Findings

Distinct Kondo parameters for Ni, Co, and Fe contacts

Material-specific differences explained by theoretical models

Insights into geometry and valence effects on Kondo screening

Abstract

Atomic contacts made of ferromagnetic metals present zero-bias anomalies in the differential conductance due to the Kondo effect. These systems provide a unique opportunity to perform a statistical analysis of the Kondo parameters in nanostructures since a large number of contacts can be easily fabricated using break-junction techniques. The details of the atomic structure differ from one contact to another so a large number of different configurations can be statistically analyzed. Here we present such a statistical analysis of the Kondo effect in atomic contacts made from the ferromagnetic transition metals Ni, Co and Fe. Our analysis shows clear differences between materials that can be understood by fundamental theoretical considerations. This combination of experiments and theory allow us to extract information about the origin and nature of the Kondo effect in these systems and to explore the influence of geometry and valence in the Kondo screening of atomic-sized nanostructures.