Atomic-scale Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya-modified Yoshimori spirals in Fe double layer on Ir(110)

TL;DR

This study uncovers a metastable Fe double layer on Ir(110) that hosts a right-handed Yoshimori-type spin spiral, driven by frustrated Heisenberg interactions and Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction, revealing new magnetic textures on open fcc(110) substrates.

Contribution

It demonstrates the stabilization and characterization of a Yoshimori-type spin spiral on Ir(110), combining experimental and theoretical methods to reveal its origin and properties.

Findings

Identified a 1.27 nm period right-handed spin spiral

Revealed the spiral is of Yoshimori type driven by frustrated interactions

Showed Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction determines spiral chirality

Abstract

Ultrathin magnetic films on heavy metal substrates with strong spin-orbit coupling provide versatile platforms for exploring novel spin textures. So far, structurally open fcc(110) substrates remain largely terra incognita. Here, we stabilize a metastable, unreconstructed Ir(110)-$(1 \times 1)$ surface supporting two layers of Fe. Combining spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscopy and ab initio calculations, we reveal a right-handed N\'eel-type spin spiral along the [$\overline{1}10$] crystallographic direction with a period of 1.27~nm as the magnetic ground state. Our analysis reveals this spiral is of the Yoshimori type, i.e., driven by frustrated Heisenberg interactions, with the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction determining its cycloidal nature and handedness.