Size effect of Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yosida interaction mediated by electrons in nanoribbons

We calculated the Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yosida (RKKY) interaction between the magnetic impurities mediated by electrons in nanoribbons. It was shown that the RKKY interaction is strongly dependent on the width of the nanoribbon and the transverse positions of the impurities. The transverse confinement of electrons is responsible for the above size effect of the RKKY interaction. It provides a potential way to control the RKKY interaction by changing nanostructure geometry. (C) 2011 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3575338]