Surface magnetism of YCo_2

摘要

Recent theoretical work [S. Khmelevskyi et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 94 (2005) 146403] predicts for the paramagnetic compound YCo_2 ferromagnetic order of the (111) surface. Here we report on results of a spin-resolved photoelectron spectroscopic (SRPES) study of YCo_2 thin films grown on a W(110) substrate. While no clear spin-asymmetry was observed for bulk sensitive data taken at hv = 1253.6 eV, the surface sensitivity data obtained at hv = 21.2, eV photon energy revealed a clear spin-asymmetry probing the validity of the theoretical prediction.