Effects of spin-orbit coupling on the spin structure of deposited transition-metal clusters

The influence of the spin-orbit coupling on the magnetic structure of deposited transition-metal nanostructures has been studied by fully relativistic electronic-structure calculations. The interplay of exchange coupling and magnetic anisotropy was monitored by studying the corresponding magnetic torque calculated within ab initio and model approaches. We find that a spin-orbit-induced Dzyaloshinski-Moriya interaction has a profound effect on the spin structure of such complex magnetic systems and that in combination with magnetic anisotropies and isotropic exchange this can result in peculiar magnetic properties.