Electronic states in magnetic nanostructures

Abstract

This paper provides a survey of electronic states in magnetic nanostructures, how they differ from bulk states, and how these changes are related to interesting magnetic phenomena such as oscillatory coupling and giant magnetoresistance (GMR). After explaining the role of quantum well states and spin-dependent electron reflectivity in magnetic multilayers, we turn our attention to lower-dimensional structures such as stripes and dots. Fabrication methods are described that use a stepped surface as template. For monitoring the growth mode, it is critical to distinguish and identify different metals at a surface by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). This is achieved via resonant tunneling through metal-specific surface and image states.