Electronic structure of Fe and Co magnetic adatoms on Bi2Te3 surfaces

Magnetic doping of topological insulators (TIs) is a prerequisite for their application as spin-based devices. Using x-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) we investigate the influence of an ultralow coverage (∼0.5% of a monolayer) of magnetic atoms on a TI substrate. For Fe and Co adatoms on Bi 2Te 3 at ∼1.5 K we find an orbital-to-spin magnetic moment ratio of ∼0.45. The magnetization curve of the Fe atoms recorded by XMCD is in quantitative agreement with a paramagnetic behavior with no indication of long-range magnetic order. The spectral shape of the XMCD indicates that the adatoms are weakly hybridized with the substrate and form narrowband states. The results show that the adatoms are not capable of breaking time-reversal symmetry. © 2012 American Physical Society