Kim, K.
, , K.
, Lee, H.
and Stiles, M.
(2016),
Perpendicular magnetic anisotropy of two-dimensional Rashba ferromagnets, Physical Review B, [online], https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.94.184402
(Accessed April 26, 2024)
Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock (
) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.
Perpendicular magnetic anisotropy of two-dimensional Rashba ferromagnets
Published
Author(s)
, Kyung Jin Lee, Hyun-Woo Lee,
Abstract
We compute the magnetocrystalline anisotropy energy within two-dimensional Rashba models. For a free- electron Rashba model with infinite band width and infinite Brillouin zone, the anisotropy is exactly zero no matter how strong the Rashba coupling is, unless only the lowest band is occupied. For this special case, the model predicts in-plane anisotropy. We then consider a more realistic Rashba model with finite band width and finite Brillouin zone. We find that a Rashba model with finite band width predicts the evolution from in-plane to perpendicular and back to in-plane magnetic anisotropy as bands are progressively filled. This evolution agrees with first-principles calculations on the interfacial anisotropy. This suggests that the Rashba model captures energetics leading to the anisotropy of interfacial origin, once the model is augmented to take account of the finite band width and finite Brillouin zone. We show that the electron density modulation by doping or an external voltage is more important for voltage-controlled magnetic anisotropy than the modulation of the Rashba parameter.Citation
Physical Review B
Volume
94
Pub Type
Journals
Download Paper
Keywords
magnetic anisotropy, spin-orbit coupling, Rashba effect
Citation
Created November 3, 2016, Updated November 10, 2018