X-ray Magnetic Circular Dichroism Measurements Research Articles

Enhanced orbital magnetic moment in an FeCo-BaF2 granular film revealed by x-ray magnetic circular dichroism

FeCo-insulator fluoride nanogranular films belong to an excellent material group that exhibit a huge Faraday effect, which is several times larger than those of conventional materials, in the optical communication wavelength band (1310 ∼ 1550 nm). In this study, FeCo-BaF2 granular films were prepared on glass substrates by a tandem sputtering method. The Faraday effect was measured and a huge Faraday rotation angle of −2.3 deg./μm was observed for the wavelength of 1550 nm. The ratio of orbital magnetic moment to effective spin magnetic moment (morb/mspineff) was evaluated by x-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) measurements, and was found to be 0.43 for Fe and 0.24 for Co. The obtained values are several times larger than those of Fe-Co bulk samples. The elemental selectivity of the XMCD measurements reveals that Fe has a larger morb/mspineff value than that of Co. Such an increase in morb is attributed to the reduction of the symmetry at the interface between FeCo and BaF2 in the granular film, and is thought to be the origin of the giant Faraday effect in FeCo-fluoride granular films.

Coexistence of Ferromagnetism and Superconductivity at KTaO3 Heterointerfaces.

The coexistence of superconductivity and ferromagnetism is a long-standing issue in superconductivity due to the antagonistic nature of these two ordered states. Experimentally identifying and characterizing novel heterointerface superconductors that coexist with magnetism presents significant challenges. Here, we report the observation of two-dimensional long-range ferromagnetic order in a KTaO3 heterointerface superconductor, showing the coexistence of superconductivity and ferromagnetism. Remarkably, our direct current superconducting quantum interference device measurements reveal an in-plane magnetization hysteresis loop persisting above room temperature. Moreover, first-principles calculations and X-ray magnetic circular dichroism measurements provide decisive insights into the origin of the observed robust ferromagnetism, attributing it to oxygen vacancies that localize electrons in nearby Ta 5d states. Our findings suggest KTaO3 heterointerfaces as time-reversal symmetry breaking superconductors, injecting fresh momentum into the exploration of the intricate interplay between superconductivity and magnetism enhanced by the strong spin-orbit coupling inherent to the heavy Ta in 5d orbitals.

Modulation of magnetic properties in self-assembled one-dimensional CoxFe3-xO4 nano-chains with Co substitution

Modulation of magnetic properties on the low dimensional material under multiple fields is a captivating area of study in material science and nano-technology. In this paper, we focus on the self-assembly of chain-like nanostructures composed of CoxFe3−xO4 nanoparticles with an average size of 150 nm. These structures, consisting of more than 20 nanoparticles, are formed at 90 °C under a 0.25 T external magnetic field. The length of chains is surprising to decrease with increasing Co content due to an obvious additional cubic magneto-crystalline anisotropy superposed on the uniaxial induced anisotropy which is induced by the synthesized magnetic field with easy axis along the length of the chain. The additional magneto-crystalline anisotropy field of Co blocks the chain growing in length with Co doping. Additionally, our X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) measurements confirm the doping of Co2+ ions in the CoxFe3−xO4 nano-chains, where they predominantly occupy the B sites and substitute the Fe2+ ions. This finding underlines the importance of spin-orbit coupling enhancement in the magnetic behavior resulting from the Fe2+ substitution with Co2+.

Giant gate modulation of antiferromagnetic spin reversal by the magnetoelectric effect

In this study, using the Pt/Cr2O3/Pt epitaxial trilayer, we demonstrate the giant voltage modulation of the antiferromagnetic spin reversal and the voltage-induced 180° switching of the Néel vector in maintaining a permanent magnetic field. We obtained a significant modulation efficiency of the switching field, Δμ0HSW/ΔV (Δμ0HSW/ΔE), reaching a maximum of −500 mT/V (−4.80 T nm/V); this value was more than 50 times greater than that of the ferromagnetic-based counterparts. From the temperature dependence of the modulation efficiency, X-ray magnetic circular dichroism measurements and first-principles calculations, we showed that the origin of the giant modulation efficiency relied on the electric field modulation of the net magnetization due to the magnetoelectric effect. From the first-principles calculation and the thickness effect on the offset electric field, we found that the interfacial magnetoelectric effect emerged. Our demonstration reveals the energy-efficient and widely applicable operation of an antiferromagnetic spin based on a mechanism distinct from magnetic anisotropy control.

X-ray magnetic circular dichroism of Mn4−xGaxN epitaxial thin films confirming ferrimagnetic-ferromagnetic phase transition by nonmagnetic Ga doping

Researchers have focused on anti-perovskite Mn4N-based ferrimagnets as potential candidates for spintronic applications since these films have a small magnetization and exhibit perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. Magnetic compensation (or angular momentum compensation) in impurity-doped Mn4N at room temperature has attracted particular attention because the magnetization switching can be facilitated in the vicinity of such compensation compositions. In this study, we grew Mn4−xGaxN (x = 0.0–1.9) epitaxial thin films on SrTiO3(001) substrates by molecular beam epitaxy and evaluated their crystallinity and surface conditions. The magnetic properties of the grown films were also examined and a sign reversal of anomalous Hall resistivity and hysteresis loops was observed between x = 0.1 and 0.3 at room temperature by magneto-optical Kerr effect microscopy. X-ray magnetic circular dichroism measurement revealed that the magnetic moment of face-centered Mn at x = 0.3 was reversed to be parallel to that of Mn at corner sites, suggesting that the ferrimagnetic-ferromagnetic phase transition occurred with nonmagnetic Ga doping.

Formation of Mn-rich interfacial phases in Co2FexMn1-xSi thin films

We report the formation of Mn-rich regions at the interface of Co2FexMn1-xSi thin films grown on GaAs substrates by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). Scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) with electron energy loss (EEL) spectrum imaging reveals that each interfacial region: (1) is 1–2 nm wide, (2) occurs irrespective of the Fe/Mn composition ratio and in both Co-rich and Co-poor films, and (3) displaces both Co and Fe indiscriminately. We also observe a Mn-depleted region in each film directly above each Mn-rich interfacial layer, roughly 3 nm in width in the x = 0 and x = 0.3 films, and 1 nm in the x = 0.7 (less Mn) film. We posit that growth energetics favor Mn diffusion to the interface even when there is no significant Ga interdiffusion into the epitaxial film. Element-specific X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) measurements show larger Co, Fe, and Mn orbital to spin magnetic moment ratios compared to bulk values across the Co2FexMn1-xSi compositional range. The values lie between reported values for pure bulk and nanostructured Co, Fe, and Mn materials, corroborating the non-uniform, layered nature of the material on the nanoscale. Finally, SQUID magnetometry demonstrates that the films deviate from the Slater-Pauling rule for uniform films of both the expected and the measured composition. The results inform a need for care and increased scrutiny when forming Mn-based magnetic thin films on III-V semiconductors like GaAs, particularly when films are on the order of 5 nm or when interface composition is critical to spin transport or other device applications.

Transfer of magnetic anisotropy in epitaxial Co/NiO/Fe trilayers

The magnetic properties of Co(10 Å)/NiO(40 Å)/Fe trilayer epitaxially grown on W(110) substrate were investigated with use of x-ray magnetic linear dichroism (XMLD) and x-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD). We showed that magnetic anisotropy of Fe film that can be controlled by a thickness-driven spin reorientation transition is transferred via interfacial exchange coupling not only to NiO layer but further to ferromagnetic Co overlayer as well. Similarly, a temperature driven spin reorientation of Fe sublayer induces a reorientation of NiO spin orientation and simultaneous switching of the Co magnetization direction. Finally, by element specific XMCD and XMLD magnetic hysteresis loop measurements we proved that external magnetic field driven reorientation of Fe and Co magnetizations as well as NiO Néel vector are strictly correlated and magnetic anisotropy fields of Fe and Co sublayers are identical despite the different crystal structures.

Magnetic properties and magnetocaloric effect of Ln = Dy, Tb carborane-based metal-organic frameworks.

We present the synthesis and magneto-thermal properties of carborane-based lanthanide metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with the formula {[(Ln)3(mCB-L)4(NO3)(DMF)n]·Solv}, where Ln = Dy or Tb, characterized by dc and ac susceptibility, X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) and heat capacity measurements. The MOF structure is formed by polymeric 1D chains of Ln ions with three different coordination environments (Ln1, Ln2, Ln3) running along the b-axis, linked by carborane-based linkers thus to provide a 3D structure. Static magnetic measurements reveal that these MOFs behave at low temperature as a system of S* = 1/2 Ising spins, weakly interacting ferromagnetically along the 1D polymeric chain (J*/kB = +0.45 K (+0.5 K) interaction constant estimated for Dy-MOF (Tb-MOF)) and coupled to Ln ions in adjacent chains through dipolar antiferromagnetic interactions. The Dy MOF exhibits slow relaxation of magnetization through a thermally activated process, transitioning to quantum tunneling of the magnetization at low temperatures, while both compounds exhibit field-induced relaxation through a very slow, direct process. The maximum magnetic entropy changes (-ΔSmaxm) for an applied magnetic field change of 2-0 T are 5.71 J kg-1 K-1 and 4.78 J kg-1 K-1, for Dy and Tb MOFs, respectively, while the magnetocaloric effect (MCE) peak for both occurs at T ∼ 1.6 K, approximately double that for the Gd counterpart.

Investigating Magnetocrystalline Anisotropy in the System Au/Co-Staircase/Au(788) by Using XMCD

Here, we report the investigation of the influence of the magnetocrystalline anisotropy (MCA) in Cobalt ultrathin films grown on the vicinal surface Au(788), through the anisotropy of the orbital magnetic moment. The aim of this study was to apply the X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) technique to probe the <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">spin</i> magnetic moment and the orbital magnetic moment anisotropy within the <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">spin</i> reorientation transition (SRT) range in the system Au/Co-Staircase/Au(788). The influence of increasing Co film thickness on SRT, from easy out-of-plane magnetization axis to in-plane magnetization was investigated by means of the magneto-optical <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Kerr</i> effect (MOKE). The preparation and surface quality of the Co films were characterized using LEED and STM. Analysis of XMCD measurements as a function of the film thickness for Au/Co-staircase/Au(788) reveals the anisotropic orbital magnetic moment during the SRT regime (8 to 12 ML range) indicating a decreasing influence of MCA with the increased thickness and nearly isotropic orbital magnetic moment above 12 ML, with a small MCA influence.

Aluminum substitution in low damping epitaxial lithium ferrite films

Ferromagnetic insulators with ultra-low damping and tunable magnetic properties are of great interest for the study of spin wave-based phenomena as well as for applications in spin wave spintronics. We have developed epitaxial spinel structure ferrite thin films of Li0.5(AlxFe2.5−x)O4 (LAFO) with ultra-low magnetic damping. The degree of Al substitution tunes the saturation magnetization and in-plane magnetic anisotropy while maintaining excellent epitaxy and crystalline quality as well as low magnetic damping. All LAFO films, deposited on (001)-oriented MgAl2O4 (MAO), are under epitaxial compressive strain, giving rise to an easy magnetic axis in-plane and a hard out-of-plane axis. Element-specific x-ray magnetic circular dichroism measurements confirm that the magnetism originates from the majority of Fe3+ cations occupying the octahedral sites, which are displaced by increased Al3+ substitution. Broadband ferromagnetic resonance reveals the lowest Gilbert damping parameters of 5×10−4 for films 10–15 nm thick. Our films demonstrate the robustness of the low loss dynamic properties of Li0.5(AlxFe2.5−x)O4 that are promising for spin wave applications.

Sublattice spin reversal and field induced Fe3+ spin-canting across the magnetic compensation temperature in Y1.5Gd1.5Fe5O12 rare-earth iron garnet

In the present work Fe3+ sublattice spin reversal and Fe3+ spin-canting across the magnetic compensation temperature (T) are demonstrated in polycrystalline Y1.5Gd1.5Fe5O12 (YGdIG) by means of in-field Mössbauer spectroscopy measurements. Corroborating in-field Mössbauer measurements, both Fe3+ & Gd3+ sublattice spin reversal has also been manifested in hard x-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) measurements. From in-field 57 Fe Mössbauer measurements, estimation and analysis of effective internal hyperfine field (H), relative intensity of absorption lines in a sextet elucidated unambiguously the signatures of Fe3+ spin reversal and field induced spin-canting of Fe3+ sublattices across T. Gd L3-edge XMCD signal is observed to consist of an additional spectral feature, identified as Fe3+ magnetic contribution to XMCD spectra of Gd L3-edge, enabling us the extraction of both the sublattices (Fe3+ & Gd3+) information from a single absorption edge analysis. The evolution of the XMCD amplitudes, which is proportional to magnetic moments, as a function of temperature for both magnetic sublattices extracted at the Gd L3-edge reasonably match with values that are extracted from bulk magnetization data of YGdIG and YIG (Y3Fe5O12) and corresponding Fe K-edge XMCD amplitudes for Fe contribution. These measurements pave new avenues to investigate how the magnetic behavior of such complex system acts across the compensation point.

Magnetic properties of Cr-doped VO2 thin films in tetragonal phase of rutile and their synchrotron-based electronic structures

The present study is focused on the investigation at 400 K of the tetragonal-rutile phase of Cr-doped VO2 (CVO) thin films grown by pulsed laser deposition. Synchrotron-based x-ray measurements of both the surface-sensitive total electron yield (TEY) and bulk-sensitive total fluorescence yield (TFY) modes were used to investigate the pristine and Cr-doped VO2 (5%, 10%, 20%, and 30% of atomic weight). The structural analysis and purity of the crystalline phase of the as-deposited films are manifested via grazing incidence x-ray diffraction patterns, which confirm the tetragonal-rutile phase. The purity of the phase is also confirmed by the presence of Eg-mode phonons in the Raman spectra and its deconvolution reflects on the oxygen-mediated electronic/vibrational transitional effect. A clear hysteretic behavior obtained through vibrating sample magnetometry strongly suggests the ferromagnetic interaction in the thin films of CVO. The local-electronic property of the samples is examined using x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) in TEY and TFY modes where the difference in the configured helicity photons resulted in the fine spectra of x-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD). XAS and XMCD measurements performed at V L2,3 and Cr L2,3 edges explicitly demonstrate the ferromagnetism in the thin films of CVO. The strong hybridization between V 3d and Cr 3d states with O 2p states is evident from the spectra of the O K-edge, resulting in the onset of the cation-pair formation V5+–Cr3+, which is ferromagnetic by means of double-exchange interaction. The theoretical calculation of density functional theory made upon Vienna ab initio simulation package suggests that CVO is in a mixed state of a ferromagnetic-insulator and a half-metallic ferromagnet.

Enhanced Magnetic Interaction between Ga and Fe in Two-Dimensional van der Waals Ferromagnetic Crystal Fe3GaTe2

Fe3GaTe2, a recently discovered van der Waals ferromagnetic crystal with the highest Curie temperature and strong perpendicular magnetic anisotropy among two-dimensional (2D) magnetic materials, has attracted significant attention and makes it a promising candidate for next-generation spintronic applications. Compared with Fe3GeTe2, which has the similar crystal structure, the mechanism of the enhanced ferromagnetic properties in Fe3GaTe2 is still unclear and needs to be investigated. Here, by using x-ray magnetic circular dichroism measurements, we find that both Ga and Te atoms contribute to the total magnetic moment of the system with antiferromagnetic coupling to Fe atoms. Our first-principles calculations reveal that Fe3GaTe2 has van Hove singularities at the Fermi level in nonmagnetic state, resulting in the magnetic instability of the system and susceptibility to magnetic phase transitions. In addition, the calculation results about the density of states in ferromagnetic states of two materials suggest that the exchange interaction between Fe atoms is strengthened by replacing Ge atoms with Ga atoms. These findings indicate the increase of both the itinerate and local moments in Fe3GaTe2 in view of Stoner and exchange interaction models, which results in the enhancement of the overall magnetism and a higher Curie temperature. Our work provides insight into the underlying mechanism of Fe3GaTe2's remarkable magnetic properties and has important implications for searching 2D materials with expected magnetic properties in the future.

Field-free spin-orbit torque switching assisted by in-plane unconventional spin torque in ultrathin [Pt/Co

Electrical manipulation of magnetization without an external magnetic field is critical for the development of advanced non-volatile magnetic-memory technology that can achieve high memory density and low energy consumption. Several recent studies have revealed efficient out-of-plane spin-orbit torques (SOTs) in a variety of materials for field-free type-z SOT switching. Here, we report on the corresponding type-x configuration, showing significant in-plane unconventional spin polarizations from sputtered ultrathin [Pt/Co]N, which are either highly textured on single crystalline MgO substrates or randomly textured on SiO2 coated Si substrates. The unconventional spin currents generated in the low-dimensional Co films result from the strong orbital magnetic moment, which has been observed by X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) measurement. The x-polarized spin torque efficiency reaches up to −0.083 and favors complete field-free switching of CoFeB magnetized along the in-plane charge current direction. Micromagnetic simulations additionally demonstrate its lower switching current than type-y switching, especially in narrow current pulses. Our work provides additional pathways for electrical manipulation of spintronic devices in the pursuit of high-speed, high-density, and low-energy non-volatile memory.

Intrinsic Magnetic Proximity Effect at the Atomically Sharp Interface of CoxFe3-xO4/Pt Grown by Molecular Beam Epitaxy.

CoxFe3-xO4(CFO)/Pt bilayers prepared by molecular beam epitaxy were investigated for the anomalous Hall effect and X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD). We found that the anomalous Hall effect originates from a magnetic proximity effect at the CFO/Pt interface. The XMCD signal in the Pt L-edge was obtained only for the sample deposited at 600 °C, indicating that the magnetic proximity effect is sensitive to the interface structure. Transmission electron microscopy images of the CFO/Pt interface and XMCD measurements of Co and Fe L-edges do not provide direct evidence for interfacial atomic diffusion or alloying. In summary, these results suggest that the magnetic proximity effect is robust for transport properties, such as the anomalous Hall effect, while the induced magnetic moment depends on slight differences in the interfacial structure, such as the presence or absence of interfacial oxygen ions.

Direct observation of the magnetic anisotropy of an Fe(II) spin crossover molecular thin film

In this work, we provide clear evidence of magnetic anisotropy in the local orbital moment of a molecular thin film based on the SCO complex [Fe(H2B(pz)2)2(bipy)] (pz = pyrazol−1−yl, bipy = 2,2′−bipyridine). Field dependent x-ray magnetic circular dichroism measurements indicate that the magnetic easy axis for the orbital moment is along the surface normal direction. Along with the presence of a critical field, our observation points to the existence of an anisotropic energy barrier in the high-spin state. The estimated nonzero coupling constant of ∼2.47 × 10−5 eV molecule−1 indicates that the observed magnetocrystalline anisotropy is mostly due to spin–orbit coupling. The spin- and orbital-component anisotropies are determined to be 30.9 and 5.04 meV molecule−1, respectively. Furthermore, the estimated g factor in the range of 2.2–2.45 is consistent with the expected values. This work has paved the way for an understanding of the spin-state-switching mechanism in the presence of magnetic perturbations.

Understanding voltage-controlled magnetic anisotropy effect at Co/oxide interface

The voltage-controlled magnetic anisotropy (VCMA) effect is a key to realising high-speed, ultralow-power consumption spintronic devices. The fcc-Co-(111)-based stack is a promising candidate for the achievement of large VCMA coefficients. However, only a few studies on the fcc-Co-(111)-based stack have been reported and the VCMA effect has not been well understood. Previously, we observed a significant increase in the voltage-controlled coercivity (VCC) in the Pt/Ru/Co/CoO/TiOx structure upon post-annealing. However, the mechanism underlying this enhancement remains unclear. This study performs multiprobe analyses on this structure before and after post-annealing and discusses the origin of the VCMA effect at the Co/oxide interface. X-ray magnetic circular dichroism measurement revealed an increase in the orbital magnetic moment owing to post-annealing, accompanied by a significant increase in VCC. We speculate that the diffusion of Pt atoms into the vicinity of Co/oxide interface enhances the interfacial orbital magnetic moment and the VCMA at the interface. These results provide a guideline for designing structures to obtain a large VCMA effect in fcc-Co-(111)-based stacks.

Perpendicular Magnetic Anisotropy of an Ultrathin Fe Layer Grown on NiO(001)

The magnetic anisotropy and magnetic interactions at the interface between $\mathrm{Fe}$ and $\mathrm{Ni}\mathrm{O}$(001) were investigated. Depending on the growth conditions of the $\mathrm{Ni}\mathrm{O}$(001) layers and the postannealing temperature, the preferential magnetization direction of the ultrathin $\mathrm{Fe}$ layer grown on a $\mathrm{Ni}\mathrm{O}$(001) layer changed from the in-plane direction to a direction perpendicular to the film plane. The lattice constant of the $\mathrm{Ni}\mathrm{O}$(001) layers parallel to the growth direction increased with ${\mathrm{O}}_{2}$ flow rate, while that parallel to the in-plane direction were locked onto the MgO(001) substrate regardless of the growth conditions of the NiO layers. Moreover, perpendicular magnetization was observed only when the NiO layer was grown with ${\mathrm{O}}_{2}$ flow rates higher than 2.0 sccm corresponding to oxygen-rich NiO. X-ray magnetic circular dichroism measurements revealed an enhancement in anisotropic orbital magnetic moments similar to the origin of perpendicular magnetic anisotropy at the $\mathrm{Fe}$/MgO(001) interface. The interfacial magnetic anisotropy energies were 0.93 and $1.02\phantom{\rule{0.2em}{0ex}}{\mathrm{mJ}/\mathrm{m}}^{2}$ at room temperature and at 100 K, respectively, indicating less temperature dependence. In contrast, the coercivity ${H}_{c}$ exhibited a significant temperature dependence. Although no signature of exchange bias or unidirectional loop shift was observed, ${H}_{c}$ was strongly dependent on the NiO layer thickness, indicating that the exchange interaction at the interface between the ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic layers was not negligible, despite the NiO(001) being a spin-compensated surface.

Direct observation of oxygen polarization in Sr2IrO4 by O K -edge x-ray magnetic circular dichroism

X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) measurements at the oxygen (O) $K$ edge were performed to investigate the magnetic polarization of ligand O atoms in the weak ferromagnetic (WFM) phase of the Ir perovskite compound ${\mathrm{Sr}}_{2}{\mathrm{IrO}}_{4}$. With the onset of the WFM phase below ${T}_{\mathrm{N}}\ensuremath{\simeq}240$ K, XMCD signals corresponding to XAS peaks respectively identified as originating from the magnetic moments of apical and planar oxygen (${\mathrm{O}}_{\mathrm{A}}$ and ${\mathrm{O}}_{\mathrm{P}}$) in the ${\mathrm{IrO}}_{6}$ octahedra were observed. The observation of magnetic moments at ${\mathrm{O}}_{\mathrm{A}}$ sites is consistent (except for the relative orientation) with that suggested by prior muon spin rotation ($\textmu{}\mathrm{SR}$) experiment in the noncollinear antiferromagnetic (NC-AFM) phase below ${T}_{\mathrm{M}}\ensuremath{\approx}100$ K. Assuming that the ${\mathrm{O}}_{\mathrm{A}}$ magnetic moment observed by $\textmu{}\mathrm{SR}$ is also responsible for the corresponding XMCD signal, the magnetic moment of ${\mathrm{O}}_{\mathrm{P}}$ is estimated to be consistent with the previous $\textmu{}\mathrm{SR}$ result. Since the ${\mathrm{O}}_{\mathrm{A}}$ XMCD signal is mainly contributed by Ir $5d\phantom{\rule{4pt}{0ex}}zx$ and $yz$ orbitals which also hybridize with ${\mathrm{O}}_{\mathrm{P}}$, it is inferred that the relatively large ${\mathrm{O}}_{\mathrm{P}}$ magnetic moment is induced by Ir $5d\phantom{\rule{4pt}{0ex}}xy$ orbitals. Moreover, the inversion of ${\mathrm{O}}_{\mathrm{A}}$ moments relative to Ir moments between the two magnetic phases revealed by XMCD suggests the presence of competing magnetic interactions for ${\mathrm{O}}_{\mathrm{A}}$, with which the ordering of ${\mathrm{O}}_{\mathrm{A}}$ moments in the NC-AFM phase may be suppressed to ${T}_{\mathrm{M}}$.

Correlation of Interface Interdiffusion and Skyrmionic Phases.

Magnetic skyrmions are prime candidates for the next generation of spintronic devices. Skyrmions and other topological magnetic structures are known to be stabilized by the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI) that occurs when the inversion symmetry is broken in thin films. Here, we show by first-principles calculations and atomistic spin dynamics simulations that metastable skyrmionic states can also be found in nominally symmetric multilayered systems. We demonstrate that this is correlated with the large enhancement of the DMI strength due to the presence of local defects. In particular, we find that metastable skyrmions can occur in Pd/Co/Pd multilayers without external magnetic fields and can be stable even near room temperature conditions. Our theoretical findings corroborate with magnetic force microscopy images and X-ray magnetic circular dichroism measurements and highlight the possibility of tuning the intensity of DMI by using interdiffusion at thin film interfaces.