Unusual Kondo physics in a Co impurity atom embedded in noble-metal chains

TL;DR

This study uses ab initio calculations to explore the electronic structure and Kondo physics of Co impurities in noble-metal chains, revealing similarities between Cu and Au but different behavior in Ag chains.

Contribution

It provides a comparative analysis of Co impurity effects in Cu, Ag, and Au chains, highlighting conditions for two-channel Kondo physics in these systems.

Findings

Cu and Au chains show similar electronic behavior at the Fermi level.

Ag chains exhibit different electronic properties compared to Cu and Au.

Potential for two-channel Kondo physics due to orbital hybridization in Cu and Au chains.

Abstract

We analyze the conduction bands of the one dimensional noble-metal chains that contain a Co magnetic impurity by means of ab initio calculations. We compare the results obtained for Cu and Ag pure chains, as well as O doped Cu, Ag and Au chains with those previously found for Au pure chains. We find similar results in the case of Cu and Au hosts, whereas for Ag chains a different behavior is obtained. Differences and similarities among the different systems are analyzed by comparing the electronic structure of the three noble-metal hosts. The d-orbitals of Cu chains at the Fermi level have the same symmetry as in the case of Au chains. These orbitals hybridize with the corresponding ones of the Co impurity, giving rise to the possibility of exhibiting a two-channel Kondo physics.