Magnetic states of finite-length Mn chains on Pt(332) surface induced by the Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction

Using the geodesic nudged elastic band method and the harmonic approximation of transition state theory the magnetic properties of finite-length Mn atomic chains on the Pt(332) surface have been investigated. Our study accounted for exchange interaction, magnetic anisotropy energy, Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction (DMI), and long-range dipole–dipole interactions. We found that finite-length Mn chains can exhibit both quasicollinear and helical structures, with the DMI at the chain ends playing a crucial role in stabilizing these configurations. The competition between magnetic anisotropy energy and DMI determines the plane in which the helical structures are oriented. Additionally, dipole–dipole interactions contribute to narrowing the domain wall width and reducing the deviation of magnetic moments at the chain ends from the easy magnetization axis. Our results show that the lifetimes of magnetic states are highly sensitive to temperature and chain length. For certain chain lengths, the lifetimes of four or even six different magnetic states are nearly identical or very close. This result may be interesting for future technical applications.