The research work will focus on the study by density-functional theory and model Hamiltonian methods of rare-earth single atom magnets deposited on or integrated in oxide substrates.

Scientific background:

Single metal atoms deposited on solid supports are the ultimate natural limit for the realization of devices in many fields, such as magnetism, catalysis, etc. In magnetism, downsizing to the sub-nano dimension allows one to enhance the anisotropy of magnetic moments thanks to the huge simplification of the atomic arrangement. The reduction of the number of atomic bonds may also lead to an extraordinarily stable magnetic moment for single magnetic atoms at surfaces, as it was recently demonstrated. The mostly used supports of single atoms are oxides and carbonaceous materials, to which the metal atoms are anchored either at substitutional sites or at defects, quenching their mobility and impeding agglomeration. The main goal of this project is to study the anchoring of single magnetic atoms at the surfaces of oxide ultrathin films and determine the most favorable systems to achieve long magnetic stability times and strong anisotropies for the implementation of single atom magnets (SAMs).

References relevant to the project:

[1] V. Bellini, et al., "Slow Magnetic Relaxation of Dy Adatoms with In-Plane Magnetic Anisotropy on a Two-Dimensional Electron Gas", ACS Nano 16, 11182 (2022).

[2] B. V. Sorokin, et al,, “The Impact of Lattice Distortions on the Magnetic Stability of Single Atoms: Dy and Ho on BaO(100)”, Adv. Funct. Mater. 2213951 (2023).

Details on the post-doc position:

The position is funded by the national project “Rare-earth single atom MAGnets aNchorEd aT oxIde Surfaces as a platform for new low-consumption magnetic dEvices (MAGNETISE)” financed through the national PRIN-2022 Next Generation EU initiative. The contract will be for one year and will start in the next few months. The post-doc position could be of junior (Ph.D required) or senior (two-years of post-doc experience required) type.

The research will be carried out under the supervision of Dr. Valerio Bellini at the Institute of Nanoscience (https://www.nano.cnr.it) of the National Research Council in Modena (Italy), in close collaboration with the experimental groups participating in the project, i.e. Dr. Alessandro Barla (CNR-ISM, Trieste, Italy), Prof. Andrea Picone (POLIMI, Milan, Italy) and Dr. Emilio Bellingeri (CNR-SPIN, Genova, Italy). Further collaboration with Dr. Stefano Rusponi and Dr. Marina Pivetta (EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland) is foreseen.

Required qualifications:

-) PhD in physics, materials science, chemistry.

-) Experience with electronic structure calculations by means of DFT methods.

Preferred qualifications:

-) Knowledge in the use of all-electron codes (e.g. Wien2k, FLEUR, Elk) and in the study of magnetic properties of matter will be appreciated.

How to apply:

Interested applicants are encouraged to contact Dr. Valerio Bellini sending the CV ([email protected]). Formal application will be opened soon.