Magnetization reversal of finite-length Co and Fe atomic chains on Pt(332) surface: numerical calculations and a new theoretical approach

Abstract Different mechanisms of magnetization reversal in finite-length Co and Fe chains on the Pt(332) surface have been investigated, taking into account the Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction. It has been found that the magnetization reversal in short atomic chains occurs through the simultaneous reversal of all magnetic moments. In contrast, the magnetization reversal in long atomic chains is facilitated by the formation of domain walls, which exhibit distinct structures for Co and Fe atomic chains. Using the geodesic nudged elastic band method, we have determined the energy barriers for magnetization reversal in chains consisting of 5 to 100 atoms. Additionally, the frequency prefactors have been calculated within the framework of the harmonic approximation of transition state theory. Notably, the dependencies of these prefactors on chain length and external magnetic field are significant and non-monotonic. We propose a theoretical approach that qualitatively describes the numerical dependencies for both the energy barriers and the frequency prefactors. The magnetization curves derived from our theoretical estimates show qualitative agreement with the results of numerical calculations. This analytical approach enables the estimation of the coercive force of atomic chains across a wide range of lengths, temperatures, sweeping rates, and model parameters. The proposed theoretical framework is applicable not only to the Co and Fe chains on the Pt(332) surface but also to a broad class of one-dimensional magnetic systems.