Intrinsic Magnetic (EuIn)As Nanowire Shells with a Unique Crystal Structure.

Shtrikman, Hadas; Song, Man Suk; Załuska-Kotur, Magdalena A; Buczko, Ryszard; Wang, Xi; Kalisky, Beena; Kacman, Perla; Houben, Lothar et al. · Nano Lett · 2022

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

In the pursuit of magneto-electronic systems nonstoichiometric magnetic elements commonly introduce disorder and enhance magnetic scattering. We demonstrate the growth of (EuIn)As shells, with a unique crystal structure comprised of a dense net of Eu inversion planes, over InAs and InAs<sub>1-<i>x</i></sub>Sb<sub><i>x</i></sub> core nanowires. This is imaged with atomic and elemental resolution which reveal a prismatic configuration of the Eu planes. The results are supported by molecular dynamics simulations. Local magnetic and susceptibility mappings show magnetic response in all nanowires, while a subset bearing a DC signal points to ferromagnetic order. These provide a mechanism for enhancing Zeeman responses, operational at zero applied magnetic field. Such properties suggest that the obtained structures can serve as a preferred platform for time-reversal symmetry broken one-dimensional states including intrinsic topological superconductivity.