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Torque magnetometry of an amorphous-alumina/strontium-titanate interface

We report torque magnetometry measurements of an oxide heterostructure consisting of an amorphous Al$_2$O$_3$ thin film grown on a crystalline SrTiO$_3$ substrate ($a$-AO/STO) by atomic layer deposition. We find a torque response that resembles previous studies of crystalline LaAlO$_3$/SrTiO$_3$ (LAO/STO) heterointerfaces, consistent with strongly anisotropic magnetic ordering in the plane of the interface. Unlike crystalline LAO, amorphous Al$_2$O$_3$ is nonpolar, indicating that planar magnetism at an oxide interface is possible without the strong internal electric fields generated within the polarization catastrophe model. We discuss our results in the context of current theoretical efforts to explain magnetism in crystalline LAO/STO.