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nanotimes
10-02 :: February 2010
News in Brief
Researchers of Collaborative Research Center Using spin-polarized scanning tunneling micro-
SFB 688 in cooperation with scientists at DESY in scopy, researchers around Dirk Sander, Valeri
Hamburg, Germany, and ESFR in Grenoble, FR, Stepanyuk and Jürgen Kirschner at Max Planck
have introduced the first full-functioning micro- Institute of Microstructure Physics in Halle,
scope for the holography of nanostructures. The Germany, found that quantum interference of
novel composition of two silicon nitride membra- electrons causes spatial modulation of spin pola-
nes that are arranged back-to-back and precisely rization within a single magnetic nanostructure.
displaceable with respect to one another allows to The researchers observed changes in both the sign
selectively approach and image an arbitrary point and magnitude of the spin polarization on a sub-
of the investigated object. Up to now, that has not nanometer scale.
been possible with conventional methods. H. Oka, P. A. Ignatiev, S. Wedekind, G. Rodary, L. Nie-
D. Stickler, R. Frömter, H. Stillrich, C. Menk, C. Tieg, S. bergall, V. S. Stepanyuk, D. Sander, and J. Kirschner: Spin-
Streit-Nierobisch, M. Sprung, C. Gutt, L.-M. Stadler, O. Dependent Quantum Interference Within a Single Ma-
Leupold, G. Grübel, and H. P. Oepen: Soft x-ray holo- gnetic Nanostructure, In: Science, Vol. 327(2010), Issue
graphic microscopy, In: Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 5967, February 12, 2010, Pages 843-846, DOI:10.1126/
96(2010), Issue 4, January 25, 2010, Article 042501, science.1183224:
DOI:10.1063/1.3291942:

http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.1183224

http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.3291942

http://www.mpi-halle.mpg.de/
Image: Only a few atom di-
ameters above a 12nm small
cobalt island (bottom) the
spin polarization, the prefe-
rential direction of the spins,
is modulated. It changes its
sign from the island’s outer
line to the middle of the
island (red). STM-Image- and
spectroscopy in magnetic
field. © Max Planck Institute
of Microstructure Physics