Atomic-scale control of magnetic anisotropy via novel spin-orbit coupling effect in La2/3Sr1/3MnO3/SrIrO3 superlattices

Interfaces of transition-metal oxides (TMOs) offer a fertile platform to uncover emergent states, which has been extensively explored in 3d TMOs with strong electron correlations. Recently research on 5d TMOs with pronounced spin-orbit coupling (SOC) is flourishing due to the emergence of new topological states and potential application in spintronics. Interfaces between 3d and 5d TMOs provide a unique test bed to combine the merits of these two fundamental interactions. However, so far research is limited. Here we present results on one model system comprising the ferromagnet La_2/3Sr_1/3MnO₃ and the strong SOC paramagnet SrIrO₃. We observe a manipulation of the magnetic anisotropy by tuning the SrIrO₃ dimensionality, which is accompanied by a novel SOC state in SrIrO₃.