Chiral Spin and Orbital Angular Momentum Textures in Mn Chains on W(110): Interplay of Spin-Orbit Coupling and Crystal Field Effects

TL;DR

This study investigates chiral spin and orbital angular momentum textures in Mn chains on W(110), revealing non-collinear magnetic orderings driven by spin-orbit coupling and crystal field effects through first-principles and model calculations.

Contribution

It uncovers the interplay of spin-orbit interaction and crystal field effects in stabilizing non-collinear chiral magnetic and orbital textures in Mn chains on W(110).

Findings

Ground state exhibits non-collinear, chiral spiral-like spin structures.

Orbital magnetic moments also show non-collinear ordering with in-plane orientation.

Model calculations successfully reproduce the main features observed in first-principles results.

Abstract

Stabilization of unusual spin-orbit driven magnetic orderings are achieved for chains of Mn atoms deposited on a W(110) substrate. First-principles electronic structure calculations show that the ground state spin configuration is non-collinear, forming chiral spiral-like structures, driven by competing nearest and next-nearest neighbor interactions. The orbital magnetic moments are also found to exhibit non-collinear ordering that, interestingly, tend to align in-plane for some systems with an orientation distinctly differently from that of the spin moment. We analyse the mechanism behind such behaviour, and find that it is due to the competition between the spin-orbit interaction and crystal-field splitting. Model calculations based on this assumption reproduce the main findings observed in our first-principles calculations.