Controlling the magnetism of oxygen surface vacancies in SrTiO3 through charging

We discuss, based on first-principles calculations, the possibility of tuning the magnetism of oxygen vacancies at the (001) surface of strontium titanate (SrTiO3). The magnetic moment of single and clustered vacancies stemming from Ti-O broken bonds can be both quenched and stabilized controllably by chemical potential adjustment associated with doping the system with electrons or holes. We discuss to what extent this route to magnetization state control is robust against other external influences such as chemical doping, mechanical action, and electric field. Such control of the vacancy state and magnetization can conceivably be achieved experimentally by using local probe tips.