Estimating the Orientation of 4f Magnetic Moments by Classical Photoemission.

To use efficiently the magnetic functionalities emerging at the surfaces or interfaces of novel lanthanides-based materials, there is a need for complementary methods to probe the atomic-layer resolved magnetic properties. Here, we show that 4f photoelectron spectroscopy is highly sensitive to the collective orientation of 4f magnetic moments and, thus, a powerful tool for characterizing the related properties. To demonstrate this, we present the results of systematic study of a family of layered crystalline 4f-materials, which are crystallized in the body-centered tetragonal ThCr2Si2 structure. Analysis of 4f spectra indicates that the 4f moments at the surface experience a strong reorientation with respect to the bulk, caused by changes of the crystal-electric field. The presented database of the computed 4f spectra for all trivalent rare-earth ions in their different MJ states will facilitate the estimation of the orientation of the 4f magnetic moments in the layered 4f-systems for efficient control of their magnetic properties.

Interlayer Coupling of a Two-Dimensional Kondo Lattice with a Ferromagnetic Surface in the Antiferromagnet CeCo2P2.

The f-driven temperature scales at the surfaces of strongly correlated materials have increasingly come into the focus of research efforts. Here, we unveil the emergence of a two-dimensional Ce Kondo lattice, which couples ferromagnetically to the ordered Co lattice below the P-terminated surface of the antiferromagnet CeCo2P2. In its bulk, Ce is passive and behaves tetravalently. However, because of symmetry breaking and an effective magnetic field caused by an uncompensated ferromagnetic Co layer, the Ce 4f states become partially occupied and spin-polarized near the surface. The momentum-resolved photoemission measurements indicate a strong admixture of the Ce 4f states to the itinerant bands near the Fermi level including surface states that are split by exchange interaction with Co. The temperature-dependent measurements reveal strong changes of the 4f intensity at the Fermi level in accordance with the Kondo scenario. Our findings show how rich and diverse the f-driven properties can be at the surface of materials without f-physics in the bulk.