Biomedical subjects

R Wiesendanger

Publications and source records attributed to R Wiesendanger.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2001

Observation of magnetic hysteresis at the nanometer scale by spin-polarized scanning tunneling spectroscopy.

Using spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscopy in an external magnetic field, we have observed magnetic hysteresis on a nanometer scale in an ultrathin ferromagnetic film. An array of iron nanowires, being two atomic layers thick, was grown on a stepped tungsten (110) substrate. The microscopic sources of hysteresis in this system-domain wall motion, domain creation, and annihilation-were observed with nanometer spatial resolution. A residual domain 6.5 nanometers by 5 nanometers in size has been found which is inherently stable in saturation fields. Its stability is the consequence of a 360 degrees spin rotation. With magnetic memory bit sizes approaching the superparamagnetic limit with sub-10 nanometer characteristic lengths, the understanding of the basic physical phenomena at this scale is of fundamental importance.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2001

Experimental evidence for intra-atomic noncollinear magnetism at thin film probe tips.

The energy-dependent spin-density orientation (SDO) at the apex of thin magnetic film tips is studied by spin-polarized scanning tunneling spectroscopy (SP-STS) at different bias voltages. At most energies the SDO is collinear with the tip magnetization resulting in a domain or domain-wall contrast in SP-STS images of out-of-plane magnetized samples measured with Gd or Fe coated tips, respectively. For some bias voltages, however, the SDO of the tip is found to be almost perpendicular to its magnetization. This result is explained in terms of intra-atomic noncollinear magnetism.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2001

Local density of states of a three-dimensional conductor in the extreme quantum limit.

The electronic structure of the narrow gap semiconductor InAs is investigated by scanning tunneling spectroscopy and magnetotransport measurements in the extreme quantum limit. The well-known oscillations of the Hall coefficient are reproduced and the last, most pronounced oscillation is shown to be correlated with the appearance of corrugations in the local density of states. While the increasing part of the Hall constant corresponds to the existence of isolated patterns indicating magnetic field induced localization, the decreasing part correlates with the development of a network which most likely consists of one-dimensional channels. We conclude that the decrease of the Hall constant in the extreme quantum limit is caused by a transition from a purely three-dimensional to a partly one-dimensional transport regime.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2000

Topology-induced spin frustrations at the Cr(001) surface studied by spin-polarized scanning tunneling spectroscopy

The magnetic structure of the Cr(001) surface was investigated by spin-polarized scanning tunneling spectroscopy by making use of the spin-polarized surface state located close to the Fermi level. Periodic alternations of the intensity of the surface state peak in local tunneling spectra measured above different ferromagnetic terraces separated by monatomic steps confirm the topological antiferromagnetic order of the Cr(001) surface. Screw dislocations cause topology-induced spin frustration, leading to the formation of domain walls with a width of about 120 nm.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2000

Spatial fluctuations of the density of states in magnetic fields observed with scanning tunneling spectroscopy

Scanning tunneling spectroscopy images on n-InAs(110) exhibit a strong magnetic field dependent contrast on the 50 nm length scale, indicating fluctuations in the density of states of the sample. The contrast is correlated to previously observed Landau oscillations in dI/dV curves. Its origin is a spatial fluctuation of the Landau level energy of 3-4 meV caused by the inhomogeneous distribution of dopant atoms. Besides inducing large-scale fluctuations in the density of states, dopants preserve their ability to scatter electron waves. The resulting wave pattern is found to depend on the magnetic field. It is suggested that the dependence is guided by the condensation of the electronic states on Landau tubes.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2000

Real-space imaging of two-dimensional antiferromagnetism on the atomic scale

A two-dimensional antiferromagnetic structure within a pseudomorphic monolayer film of chemically identical manganese atoms on tungsten(110) was observed with atomic resolution by spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscopy at 16 kelvin. A magnetic superstructure changes the translational symmetry of the surface lattice with respect to the chemical unit cell. It is shown, with the aid of first-principles calculations, that as a result of this, spin-polarized tunneling electrons give rise to an image corresponding to the magnetic superstructure and not to the chemical unit cell. These investigations demonstrate a powerful technique for the understanding of complicated magnetic configurations of nanomagnets and thin films engineered from ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic materials used for magnetoelectronics.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2000

Real-space observation of dipolar antiferromagnetism in magnetic nanowires by spin-polarized scanning tunneling spectroscopy

We have performed spin-polarized scanning tunneling spectroscopy of dipolar antiferromagnetically coupled Fe nanowires with a height of two atomic layers and an average separation of 8 nm grown on stepped W(110). Domain walls within the nanowires exhibit a significantly reduced width when pinned at structural constrictions. The lateral spin reorientation in the direction perpendicular to the wires has been studied with subnanometer spatial resolution. It is found that the spin canting in the Fe nanowires monotonously increases towards the step edges.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2000

Penetration pathways of fluorescent dyes in human hair fibres investigated by scanning near-field optical microscopy.

Thin cross-sections of human hairs were investigated by scanning near-field optical microscopy (SNOM) and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) after penetration of a fluorescent dye. The same samples were measured with both techniques to compare the observed structures. The images obtained from the two methods show nearly identical structures representing pathways of the dye molecules in hairs. The SNOM images provide a higher resolution than the CLSM images. Therefore, SNOM is believed to be a suitable method for investigations at a resolution of 100 nm on penetration pathways of fluorescent dyes such as the cell membrane complex pathway in cross-sections of hairs.

Fluorescent Dyes↗

PubMed1997