SKM 2023 – scientific programme

Parts | Days | Selection | Search | Updates | Downloads | Help

O: Fachverband Oberflächenphysik

O 51: Surface Magnetism

O 51.2: Talk

Wednesday, March 29, 2023, 11:45–12:00, REC C 213

Aging in the self-induced spin glass Nd(0001) — •Lorena Niggli, Julian H. Strik, Anand Kamlapure, Mikhail I. Katsnelson, Daniel Wegner, and Alexander A. Khajetoorians — Institute for Molecules and Materials, Radboud University, Nijmegen, the Netherlands

Elemental neodymium has been shown to be a self-induced spin glass, where glassy behaviour stems solely from the frustrated nature of the magnetic interactions [1]. This is in contrast to traditional spin glasses, where the presence of disorder is essential toward realizing glassy behaviour. The magnetic state of Nd(0001) is characterized by a lack of long range order, but exhibits local non-collinear order (Q-states). Upon increasing the temperature, neodymium displays an unusual magnetic phase transition from a self-induced spin glass to a long-range ordered multi-Q phase [2]. Here, we explore the aging behaviour of Nd(0001) in its self-induced spin glass state using spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscopy in varying magnetic fields and variable temperature. We explore how the favourability of the Q-states evolves as we age the system and relate these changes to the preferred structure of the ordered phase. These observations indicate that neodymium may be a multi-well system, which deviates from the traditional energy landscape expected of prototypical spin glass systems, thus providing a new platform to study aging dynamics as well as dynamic heterogeneity.

[1] U. Kamber et al., Science 368 (2020).

[2] B. Verlhac et al., Nat. Phys. 18 (2022).