Magnetic domains reconfiguration on the Fe3O4(110) surface across the Verwey transition by Spin-Polarized Low-Energy Electron Microscopy
Fuente:
arXiv
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Preprint |
| Published: |
2026
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1866911732209811456 |
|---|---|
| author | Gutiérrez-Cuesta, C. Mandziak, A. Prieto, J. E. Nita, P. Mascaraque, A. Choudhry, U. Turner, J. Stibor, A. de la Figuera, J. |
| author_facet | Gutiérrez-Cuesta, C. Mandziak, A. Prieto, J. E. Nita, P. Mascaraque, A. Choudhry, U. Turner, J. Stibor, A. de la Figuera, J. |
| contents | We have studied the (110) surface of Fe$_3$O$_4$ single crystals by means of spin-polarized low-energy electron microscopy (SPLEEM). After preparation by sputtering and annealing a well defined reconstructed surface was achieved, composed of rows aligned in the [010] direction. By acquiring SPLEEM images along different spin directions the vector magnetization was mapped on the surface, both at room temperature and at a temperature well below the Verwey transition. At room temperature, domains were observed with their magnetization aligned along the two <111> bulk easy axes which are in the (110) surface plane. They presented 180$^\circ$, 71$^\circ$ and 109$^\circ$ Néel-type domain walls. Below the Verwey transition, the magnetization directions changed to regions where the magnetization was oriented along the in-plane [100] and [001] directions. Those observations can be interpreted as the presence of magnetized regions on the surface where the monoclinic $c$ axis is in-plane in the former, and regions where the $c$ is out-of-plane in an oblique direction in the latter. However, the magnetization was at all times within the surface plane, with no out-of-plane component detected. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2605_31252 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Magnetic domains reconfiguration on the Fe3O4(110) surface across the Verwey transition by Spin-Polarized Low-Energy Electron Microscopy Gutiérrez-Cuesta, C. Mandziak, A. Prieto, J. E. Nita, P. Mascaraque, A. Choudhry, U. Turner, J. Stibor, A. de la Figuera, J. Materials Science We have studied the (110) surface of Fe$_3$O$_4$ single crystals by means of spin-polarized low-energy electron microscopy (SPLEEM). After preparation by sputtering and annealing a well defined reconstructed surface was achieved, composed of rows aligned in the [010] direction. By acquiring SPLEEM images along different spin directions the vector magnetization was mapped on the surface, both at room temperature and at a temperature well below the Verwey transition. At room temperature, domains were observed with their magnetization aligned along the two <111> bulk easy axes which are in the (110) surface plane. They presented 180$^\circ$, 71$^\circ$ and 109$^\circ$ Néel-type domain walls. Below the Verwey transition, the magnetization directions changed to regions where the magnetization was oriented along the in-plane [100] and [001] directions. Those observations can be interpreted as the presence of magnetized regions on the surface where the monoclinic $c$ axis is in-plane in the former, and regions where the $c$ is out-of-plane in an oblique direction in the latter. However, the magnetization was at all times within the surface plane, with no out-of-plane component detected. |
| title | Magnetic domains reconfiguration on the Fe3O4(110) surface across the Verwey transition by Spin-Polarized Low-Energy Electron Microscopy |
| topic | Materials Science |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.31252 |