Analysis of interactions between Co adatoms on the vicinal Cu(111) surface

The energies of magnetic interactions between Co adatoms at the vicinal Cu(111) surface are calculated in the framework of the density functional theory using the Korringa–Kohn–Rostoker type Green’s functions. It is demonstrated that the interactions between Co adatoms appreciably depend on the distance from a surface step. Our calculations show that the magnitude of the repulsive barrier related to the surface step is larger for Co adatoms located at the upper surface terrace than for those located at the lower surface terrace.