2017/02/08 by V. Schendel, Verena Schendel, Cyrille Barreteau +15
Chemistry · Engineering · Physics and Astronomy · #Atom (system on chip) #Atomic physics #Chemistry #Condensed matter physics #Conductance #Electron #Fermi level #Ferromagnetism #Magnetic properties of thin films #Molecular Junctions and Nanostructures #Monatomic gas #Palladium #Physics #Quantum and electron transport phenomena #Quantum mechanics #Quasiparticle #Scattering #Spin (aerodynamics) #Transition metal #cond-mat.mes-hall
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevb.96.035155
published as Phys. Rev. B 96, 035155 (2017) · 5 pages, 4 figures
arxiv created 2017/02/08 · openalex publication_date 2017/07/31 · arxiv updated 2017/08/09 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
Among all transition metals, palladium (Pd) has the highest density of states at the Fermi energy at low temperatures yet does not fulfill the Stoner criterion for ferromagnetism. However, close proximity to magnetism renders it a nearly ferromagnetic metal, which hosts paramagnons, strongly damped spin fluctuations. Here we compare the total and the differential conductance of monoatomic contacts consisting of single Pd and cobalt (Co) atoms between Pd electrodes. Transport measurements reveal a conductance for Co of 1G0, while for Pd we obtain 2G0. The differential conductance of monoatomic Pd contacts shows a reduction with increasing bias, which gives rise to a peculiar \mathrm\ensuremathΛ-shaped spectrum. Supported by theoretical calculations, we correlate this finding with the lifetime of hot quasiparticles in Pd, which is strongly influenced by paramagnon scattering. In contrast to this, Co adatoms locally induce magnetic order, and transport through single cobalt atoms remains unaffected by paramagnon scattering, consistent with theory.