Anisotropic susceptibility of ferromagnetic ultrathin Co films on vicinal Cu

TL;DR

This study measures the magnetic susceptibility of ultrathin Co films on vicinal Cu substrates to analyze anisotropic magnetic properties and determine exchange interactions and anisotropy using a theoretical Heisenberg model.

Contribution

It provides a combined experimental and theoretical analysis of magnetic susceptibility in ultrathin ferromagnetic films, highlighting anisotropic effects and exchange interactions.

Findings

Determined isotropic exchange interaction values.

Quantified magnetic anisotropy in ultrathin Co films.

Validated theoretical Heisenberg model with experimental data.

Abstract

We measure the magnetic susceptibility of ultrathin Co films with an in-plane uniaxial magnetic anisotropy grown on a vicinal Cu substrate. Above the Curie temperature the influence of the magnetic anisotropy can be investigated by means of the parallel and transverse susceptibilities along the easy and hard axes. By comparison with a theoretical analysis of the susceptibilities we determine the isotropic exchange interaction and the magnetic anisotropy. These calculations are performed in the framework of a Heisenberg model by means of a many-body Green's function method, since collective magnetic excitations are very important in two-dimensional magnets.