Observation of magnetism in Au thin films

TL;DR

This paper reports direct measurements showing that thin gold films can exhibit positive magnetization, with magnetic behavior strongly influenced by the substrate, highlighting potential substrate effects on gold's magnetic properties.

Contribution

First direct magnetization measurements of thin gold films demonstrating substrate-dependent positive magnetization behavior.

Findings

Gold thin films can exhibit positive magnetization.

Magnetic behavior depends strongly on the substrate.

Diamagnetic contribution from the substrate is comparable to measurement noise.

Abstract

Direct magnetization measurements of thin gold films are presented. These measurements integrate the signal from the thin film under study and the magnetic contribution of the film's interface with the substrate. The diamagnetic contribution to the signal from the bulk substrate is of the same order as the noise level. we find that thin gold films can exhibit positive magnetization. The character of their magnetic behavior is strongly substrate dependent.