Classical and cubic Rashba effect in the presence of in-plane 4f magnetism at the iridium silicide surface of the antiferromagnet GdIr2Si2

We present a combined experimental and theoretical study of the two-dimensional electron states at the iridium-silicide surface of the antiferromagnet GdIr2Si2 above and below the Ned temperature. Using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) we find a significant spin-orbit splitting of the surface states in the paramagnetic phase. By means of ab initio density-functional-theory (DFT) calculations we establish that the surface electron states that reside in the projected band gap around the (M) over bar point exhibit very different spin structures which are governed by the conventional and the cubic Rashba effect. The latter is reflected in a triple spin winding, i.e., the surface electron spin reveals three complete rotations upon moving once around the constant energy contours. Below the Ned temperature, our ARPES measurements show an intricate photoemission intensity picture characteristic of a complex magnetic domain structure. The orientation of the domains, however, can be clarified from a comparative analysis of the ARPES data and their DFT modeling. To characterize a single magnetic domain picture, we resort to the calculations and scrutinize the interplay of the Rashba spin-orbit coupling field with the in-plane exchange field, provided by the ferromagnetically ordered 4f moments of the near-surface Gd layer.

Automated summary

This study presents a combined experimental and theoretical investigation of the two-dimensional electron states at the iridium-silicide surface of the antiferromagnet GdIr2Si2, revealing significant spin-orbit splitting in the paramagnetic phase. Below the Ned temperature, the ARPES measurements show a complex magnetic domain structure, which can be clarified by comparing the data with DFT modeling.