Individual Fe atoms on a Cu2N/Cu(100) surface exhibit strong magnetic anisotropy due to the crystal field. Using atom manipulation in a low-temperature STM we demonstrate that the anisotropy of one Fe atom is significantly influenced by local strain due to a second Fe atom placed nearby. Depending on the relative positions of the two atoms on the Cu2N lattice we can controllably enhance or reduce the uniaxial anisotropy. We present a model that explains the observed behavior qualitatively in terms of first principles.
@article{arxiv.1305.1616,
title = {Local control of single atom magneto-crystalline anisotropy},
author = {B. Bryant and A. Spinelli and J. J. T. Wagenaar and M. Gerrits and A. F. Otte},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1305.1616},
year = {2014}
}