DIPOLAR SUPERFERROMAGNETISM IN MONOLAYER NANOSTRIPES OF FE(110) ON VICINAL W(110) SURFACES

By epitaxial growth of Fe on a vicinal W(110) substrate, densely space d and continuous monolayer stripes of Fe(110) were prepared, directed along [001]. They exhibit a sharp phase transition to ferromagnetic or der, free from relaxations. The magnetic easy axis is in the plane, bu t along [<1(1)over bar>0] that means across the stripes. This cross ma gnetization induces ferromagnetic dipolar coupling between the spin bl ocks in adjacent stripes, which are preformed by exchange interactions . The resulting superferromagnetic phase transition is therefore drive n by dipolar interactions.