Tailoring magnetoresistance at the atomic level: An ab initio study

The possibility of manipulating the tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) of antiferromagnetic nanostructures is predicted in the framework of ab initio calculations. By the example of a junction composed of an antiferromagnetic dimer and a spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscopy tip we show that the TMR can be tuned and even reversed in sign by lateral and vertical movements of the tip. Moreover, our finite-bias calculations demonstrate that the magnitude and the sign of the TMR can also be tuned by an external voltage. © 2012 American Physical Society.