For distribution

[CM ICTP - Trieste]

SEMINAR on   Disorder and strong electron correlations





Thursday, 9 October      -  11:00 a.m.





Seminar Room,  Leonardo Bldg.- first floor





A. SMOGUNOV    ( I.C.T.P. & S.I.S.S.A. )



"Ab initio electronic structure,ballistic conductance, and magnetism  
of transition metal nanocontacts"



Abstract



Metallic nanocontacts consisting of just a single monatomic wire  
(atomic chain) connecting two macroscopic electrodes can be now  
fabricated, imaged, and explored by means of various techniques such  
as scanning tunneling microscopy or mechanically controllable break  
junctions. We present the first  principles density functional theory  
study of such nanowire contacts making a  special emphasis on the  
interplay between their magnetic and electron transport properties.  
We show the results for ferromagnetic Ni nanocontacts  and for Pt  
nanocontacts where the one-dimensional monatomic wires (unlike to the  
bulk) were recently shown to develop magnetism.