2024/05/24 by Massine Kelaï, Stefano Reale, Kelai, Massine +23
Earth and Planetary Sciences · #FOS: Physical sciences #Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics (cond-mat.mes-hall) #Paleontology and Stratigraphy of Fossils
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2405.15229
openalex publication_date 2024/05/24 · openalex created_date 2024/05/28 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Surface-adsorbed rare-earth nanostructures are ideal platforms to investigate the interplay between intra-atomic interactions and multi-orbital spin configurations. However, addressing these properties has posed severe experimental and theoretical challenges. Here, we use the orbital selectivity offered by X-ray absorption spectroscopy to quantify the Coulomb integrals of Nd atoms on conductive surfaces, as well as the variation of individual orbital occupation upon cluster nucleation. Using X-ray magnetic circular dichroism we identify magnetic moments of the order of \MKfew tens of~μ_\rmB at the 5d orbitals and their magnetic coupling with the 4f spins. Our results validate orbital-resolved X-ray spectroscopy as a reliable method for quantifying complex multi-orbital interactions in surface-adsorbed lanthanides.