ABSTRACT
Fueled by the ever increasing data density in magnetic storage technology and the need for a better understanding of the physical properties of magnetic nanostructures, there exists a strong demand for high-resolution magnetically sensitive microscopy techniques. že technique with the highest available resolution is spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscopy (SP-STM), which combines the atomic-resolution capability of conventional STMs with spin sensitivity by making use of the tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) e¥ect between a magnetic tip and the magnetic sample surface. Beyond the investigation of ferromagnetic surfaces, thin ¢lms, and epitaxial nanostructures with unforeseen precision, it also allows the achievement of a longstanding dream, that is, the real-space imaging of atomic spins in antiferromagnetic surfaces. Furthermore, the atomic spin resolution capability of SP-STM allowed for the discovery and investigation of complex spin structures like frustrated triangular structures and helical spin spirals, which were hypothesized but could not be imaged directly before.
