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Current pulse driven Néel vector rotation in metallic antiferromagnets is one of the most promising concepts in antiferromagnetic spintronics. We show microscopically that the Néel vector of epitaxial thin films of the prototypical compound Mn2Au can be reoriented reversibly in the complete area of cross shaped device structures using single current pulses. The resulting domain pattern with aligned staggered magnetization is long term stable enabling memory applications. We achieve this switching with low heating of ≈20 K, which is promising regarding fast and efficient devices without the need for thermal activation. Current polarity dependent reversible domain wall motion demonstrates a Néel spin-orbit torque acting on the domain walls. Antiferromagnets have an inbuilt resilience to external magnetic fields and intrinsically fast dynamics, properties that have garnered interest in the hope that they could be used for antiferromagnet memories. Central to this are Neel spin-orbit torques, which can switch the individual sublattices of the antiferromagnet. Here, Reimers et al demonstrate complete and reversible current induced switching of the Neel vector in Mn2Au. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 2-dimensional transformation of the diamond (111) surface to graphene has been demonstrated using ultrathin Fe films that catalytically reduce the reaction temperature needed for the conversion of sp³ to sp² carbon. An epitaxial system is formed, which involves the re-crystallization of carbon at the Fe/vacuum interface and that enables the controlled growth of monolayer and multilayer graphene films. In order to study the initial stages of single and multilayer graphene growth, real time monitoring of the system was preformed within a photoemission and low energy electron microscope. It was found that the initial graphene growth occurred at temperatures as low as 500 °C, whilst increasing the temperature to 560 °C was required to produce multi-layer graphene of high structural quality. Angle resolved photoelectron spectroscopy was used to study the electronic properties of the grown material, where a graphene-like energy momentum dispersion was observed. The Dirac point for the first layer is located at 2.5 eV below the Fermi level, indicating an n-type doping of the graphene due to substrate interactions, while that of the second graphene layer lies close to the Fermi level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Superparamagnetic fluctuations of magnetization in thin Fe films that coat a sharp W(001) tip are evident in the spin polarization of field emitted electrons. Fluctuations of polarization between four transverse directions that align with the tip <100> directions are consistent with the in-plane biaxial magnetization of Fe films on macroscopic W(001) surfaces. This superparamagnetic behavior imposes a limit to spin polarized vacuum tunneling applications that proves to be more stringent than the suppression of the Curie temperature in thin films due to finite size effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]