Transport in magnetically ordered Pt nanocontacts

Fernández-Rossier, J.; Jacob, D.; Untiedt, C.; Palacios, J. J.

Transport in magnetically ordered Pt nanocontacts

Authors

Fernández-Rossier, J.

Jacob, D.

Untiedt, C.

Palacios, J. J.

Description

Pt nanocontacts, like those formed in mechanically controlled break junctions, are shown to develop spontaneous local magnetic order. Our density functional calculations predict that a robust local magnetic order exists in the atoms presenting low coordination, i. e., those forming the atom-sized neck. In contrast to previous work, we thus find that the electronic transport can be spin-polarized, although the net value of the conductance still agrees with available experimental information. Experimental implications of the formation of this new type of nanomagnet are discussed.
4 pages, 3 figures