Surface alloys are highly flexible materials for tailoring the spin-dependent properties of surfaces. Here, we study the spin-dependent band structure of a DyAg2 surface alloy formed on an Ag(111) crystal. We find a significant exchange spin-splitting of the localized Dy 4f states pointing to a ferromagnetic coupling between the localized Dy moments at 40K. The magnetic coupling between these moments is mediated by an indirect, RKKY-like exchange coupling via the spin-polarized electrons of the hole-like Dy-Ag hybrid surface state.
@article{arxiv.1906.03780,
title = {Exchange Splitting of a Hybrid Surface State and Ferromagnetic Order in a 2D Surface Alloy},
author = {J. Seidel and P. M. Buhl and S. Mousavion and B. Dupé and E. S. Walther and K. Medjanik and D. Vasilyev and S. Babenkov and M. Ellguth and M. Maniraj and J. Sinova and G. Schönhense and H. -J. Elmers and M. Aeschlimann and B. Stadtmüller},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1906.03780},
year = {2020}
}