Tunable magnetism of a single-carbon vacancy in graphene

Creating a single-carbon vacancy introduces (quasi-)localized states for both σ and π electrons in graphene. Theoretically, interactions between the localized σ electrons and quasilocalized π electrons of a single-carbon vacancy in graphene are predicted to control its magnetism. However, experimentally confirming this prediction through manipulating the interactions remains an outstanding challenge. Here we report the manipulation of magnetism in the vicinity of an individual single-carbon vacancy in graphene by using a scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM) tip. Our spin-polarized STM measurements, complemented by density functional theory calculations, indicate that the interactions between the localized σ and quasilocalized π electrons could split the π electrons into two states with opposite spins even when they are well above the Fermi level. Via the STM tip, we successfully manipulate both the magnitude and direction of magnetic moment of the π electrons with respect to that of the σ electrons. Three different magnetic states of the single-carbon vacancy, exhibiting magnetic moments of about 1.6 μB, 0.5 μB, and 0 μB respectively, are realized in our experiment.