Direct observation of the two-dimensional atomic scale antiferromagnetic structure of a monolayer magnetic film by spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscopy (SP-STM). All atoms of the monolayer film (red and green) are of the same chemical species (Mn) and differ only by the orientation of their magnetic moment. Using a magnetic probe tip it is possible to measure an SP-STM image (see the height profile) showing one kind of magnetic atoms (red) as hills and the other kind (green) as valleys, i.e. a direct image of the atomic scale magnetic order within the magnetic film.
You can also download two different movies. The small
file (3.2MB) simply shows the tip scanning across the surface while
the huge file (40MB)
is a complete animation intended to illustrate the entire
working principle of a spin-polarized STM.