Spin polarized STM imaging of the Fe3O4 (0Â 0Â 1) surface using antiferromagnetic tips

Spin polarized STM is used to image the charge ordered Fe3O4 (0 0 1) surface, using antiferromagnetic MnNi probes. Such a surface is characterized by the presence of Fe2+-Fe2+ and Fe3+-Fe3+ dimers. These dimers have different spin configurations, which are resolved using a MnNi probe. The surface is also imaged with paramagnetic W tips, which do not distinguish between the dimers, providing further evidence for a spin polarized contribution to the tunnel current with MnNi tips.