Abstract
This paper addresses the question: “How do we define a two-dimensional itinerant magnet?” Results are presented indicating a cross-over from three-dimensional (3D) to two-dimensional (2D) behavior at a finite-size film thickness. It is argued that quantization of the electronic states in ultrathin metallic films dictate this behavior. Data from a broad range of epitaxial ferromagnetic films grown on different metallic substrates suggest a cross-over into just two classes of 2D behavior, viz 2D Ising model in the presence of uniaxial surface anisotropy and finite-size lattice 2D XY model behavior in films in which the preferred direction of magnetization lies in-plane. In this ultrathin film 2D limit, the Curie temperature falls rapidly to zero as the thickness approaches a single monolayer due to the sudden onset of disordered microdomains.
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