Phys. Rev. Lett. 102, 056802 (2009) [4 pages]Kondo Decoherence: Finding the Right Spin Model for Iron Impurities in Gold and SilverReceived 8 October 2008; published 3 February 2009 We exploit the decoherence of electrons due to magnetic impurities, studied via weak localization, to resolve a long-standing question concerning the classic Kondo systems of Fe impurities in the noble metals gold and silver: which Kondo-type model yields a realistic description of the relevant multiple bands, spin, and orbital degrees of freedom? Previous studies suggest a fully screened spin S Kondo model, but the value of S remained ambiguous. We perform density functional theory calculations that suggest S=3/2. We also compare previous and new measurements of both the resistivity and decoherence rate in quasi-one-dimensional wires to numerical renormalization group predictions for S=1/2, 1, and 3/2, finding excellent agreement for S=3/2. © 2009 The American Physical Society URL:
http://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevLett.102.056802
DOI:
10.1103/PhysRevLett.102.056802
PACS:
73.23.−b, 72.70.+m, 75.20.Hr
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