Magneto-Spin-Orbit Graphene: Interplay between Exchange and Spin-Orbit Couplings

Sublattice Ferrimagnetism in Quasifreestanding Graphene

We show that graphene can be magnetized by coupling to a ferromagnetic Co film through a Au monolayer. The presence of dislocation loops under graphene leads to a ferrimagnetic ordering of moments in the two C sublattices. It is shown that the band gap of ∼80  meV in the K[over ¯] point has a magnetic nature and exists for ferrimagnetic ordering. Interplay between Rashba and exchange couplings is evidenced by spin splitting asymmetry in spin-ARPES measurements and fully supported by DFT calculation of a (9×9) unit cell. Owing to sign-opposite Berry curvatures for K[over ¯] and K[over ¯]^{'} valleys, the synthesized system is promising for the realization of a circular dichroism Hall effect.

Spin Relaxation in s-Wave Superconductors in the Presence of Resonant Spin-Flip Scatterers

Employing analytical methods and quantum transport simulations we investigate the relaxation of quasiparticle spins in graphene proximitized by an s-wave superconductor in the presence of resonant magnetic and spin-orbit active impurities. Off resonance, the relaxation increases with decreasing temperature when electrons scatter off magnetic impurities-the Hebel-Slichter effect-and decreases when impurities have spin-orbit coupling. This distinct temperature dependence (not present in the normal state) uniquely discriminates between the two scattering mechanisms. However, we show that the Hebel-Slichter picture breaks down at resonances. The emergence of Yu-Shiba-Rusinov bound states within the superconducting gap redistributes the spectral weight away from magnetic resonances. The result is opposite to the Hebel-Slichter expectation: the spin relaxation decreases with decreasing temperature. Our findings hold for generic s-wave superconductors with resonant magnetic impurities, but also, as we show, for resonant magnetic Josephson junctions.

Advanced graphene recording device for spin-orbit torque magnetoresistive random access memory

The non-volatile spin-orbit torque magnetic random access memory (SOT-MRAM) is a very attractive memory technology for near future computers because it has various advantages such as non-volatility, high density and scalability. In the present work we propose a model of a graphene recording device for the SOT-MRAM unit cell, consisting of a quasi-freestanding graphene intercalated with Au and an ultra-thin Pt layer sandwiched between graphene and a magnetic tunnel junction. As a result of using the claimed graphene recording memory element, a faster operation and lower energy consumption will be achieved under the recording information by reducing the electric current required to record. The efficiency of the graphene recording element was confirmed by the experimental results and the theoretical estimations.

Observation of spin-polarized Anderson state around charge neutral point in graphene with Fe-clusters

The pristine graphene described with massless Dirac fermion could bear topological insulator state and ferromagnetism via the band structure engineering with various adatoms and proximity effects from heterostructures. In particular, topological Anderson insulator state was theoretically predicted in tight-binding honeycomb lattice with Anderson disorder term. Here, we introduced physi-absorbed Fe-clusters/adatoms on graphene to impose exchange interaction and random lattice disorder, and we observed Anderson insulator state accompanying with Kondo effect and field-induced conducting state upon applying the magnetic field at around a charge neutral point. Furthermore, the emergence of the double peak of resistivity at ν = 0 state indicates spin-splitted edge state with high effective exchange field (>70 T). These phenomena suggest the appearance of topological Anderson insulator state triggered by the induced exchange field and disorder.

Quantum Well States for Graphene Spin-Texture Engineering

The modification of graphene band structure, in particular via induced spin-orbit coupling, is currently a great challenge for the scientific community from both a fundamental and applied point of view. Here, we investigate the modification of the electronic structure of graphene (gr) initially adsorbed on Ir(111) via intercalation of one monolayer Pd by means of angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy and density functional theory. We reveal that for the gr/Pd/Ir(111) intercalated system, a spin splitting of graphene π states higher than 200 meV is present near the graphene K point. This spin separation arises from the hybridization of the graphene valence band states with spin-polarized quantum well states of a single Pd layer on Ir(111). Our results demonstrate that the proposed approach on the tailoring of the dimensionality of heavy materials interfaced with a graphene layer might lead to a giant spin-orbit splitting of the graphene valence band states.

Prediction and observation of an antiferromagnetic topological insulator

Magnetic topological insulators are narrow-gap semiconductor materials that combine non-trivial band topology and magnetic order¹. Unlike their nonmagnetic counterparts, magnetic topological insulators may have some of the surfaces gapped, which enables a number of exotic phenomena that have potential applications in spintronics¹, such as the quantum anomalous Hall effect² and chiral Majorana fermions³. So far, magnetic topological insulators have only been created by means of doping nonmagnetic topological insulators with 3d transition-metal elements; however, such an approach leads to strongly inhomogeneous magnetic⁴ and electronic⁵ properties of these materials, restricting the observation of important effects to very low temperatures^2,3. An intrinsic magnetic topological insulator-a stoichiometric well ordered magnetic compound-could be an ideal solution to these problems, but no such material has been observed so far. Here we predict by ab initio calculations and further confirm using various experimental techniques the realization of an antiferromagnetic topological insulator in the layered van der Waals compound MnBi₂Te₄. The antiferromagnetic ordering  that MnBi₂Te₄  shows makes it invariant with respect to the combination of the time-reversal and primitive-lattice translation symmetries, giving rise to a ℤ₂ topological classification; ℤ₂ = 1 for MnBi₂Te₄, confirming its topologically nontrivial nature. Our experiments indicate that the symmetry-breaking (0001) surface of MnBi₂Te₄ exhibits a large bandgap in the topological surface state. We expect this property to eventually enable the observation of a number of fundamental phenomena, among them quantized magnetoelectric coupling^6-8 and axion electrodynamics^9,10. Other exotic phenomena could become accessible at much higher temperatures than those reached so far, such as the quantum anomalous Hall effect² and chiral Majorana fermions³.

Cobalt-assisted recrystallization and alignment of pure and doped graphene

Recrystallization of bulk materials is a well-known phenomenon, which is widely used in commercial manufacturing. However, for low-dimensional materials like graphene, this process still remains an unresolved puzzle. Thus, the understanding of the underlying mechanisms and the required conditions for recrystallization in low dimensions is essential for the elaboration of routes towards the inexpensive and reliable production of high-quality nanomaterials. Here, we unveil the details of the efficient recrystallization of one-atom-thick pure and boron-doped polycrystalline graphene layers on a Co(0001) surface. By applying photoemission and electron diffraction, we show how more than 90% of the initially misoriented graphene grains can be reconstructed into a well-oriented and single-crystalline layer. The obtained recrystallized graphene/Co interface exhibits high structural quality with a pronounced sublattice asymmetry, which is important for achieving an unbalanced sublattice doping of graphene. By exploring the kinetics of recrystallization for native and B-doped graphene on Co, we were able to estimate the activation energy and propose a mechanism of this process.