112 research outputs found
X-Ray Detection of Transient Magnetic Moments Induced by a Spin Current in Cu
We have used a MHz lock-in x-ray spectro-microscopy technique to directly
detect changes of magnetic moments in Cu due to spin injection from an adjacent
Co layer. The elemental and chemical specificity of x-rays allows us to
distinguish two spin current induced effects. We detect the creation of
transient magnetic moments of on Cu atoms
within the bulk of the 28 nm thick Cu film due to spin-accumulation. The moment
value is compared to predictions by Mott's two current model. We also observe
that the hybridization induced existing magnetic moments on Cu interface atoms
are transiently increased by about 10% or .
This reveals the dominance of spin-torque alignment over Joule heat induced
disorder of the interfacial Cu moments during current flow
Time-resolved ferromagnetic resonance in epitaxial Fe1-xCox films
Magnetodynamics in epitaxial Fe1-xCox films on GaAs (100) are studied using
time-resolved ferromagnetic resonance, in which the free precession of the
magnetization after an impulsive excitation is measured using the polar Kerr
effect. The sample is rotated with respect to the static and pulsed field
directions, providing a complete mapping of the free energy surface and
characteristic relaxation times. The magnetic response can be simulated with a
simple coherent rotation model except in the immediate vicinity of switching
fields. Bulk and surface anisotropies are identified, and unusual dynamics
associated with the coexistence of cubic and uniaxial anisotropies are
observed.Comment: PDF - 4 figure
Time- and spatially-resolved magnetization dynamics driven by spin-orbit torques
Current-induced spin-orbit torques (SOTs) represent one of the most effective
ways to manipulate the magnetization in spintronic devices. The orthogonal
torque-magnetization geometry, the strong damping, and the large domain wall
velocities inherent to materials with strong spin-orbit coupling make SOTs
especially appealing for fast switching applications in nonvolatile memory and
logic units. So far, however, the timescale and evolution of the magnetization
during the switching process have remained undetected. Here, we report the
direct observation of SOT-driven magnetization dynamics in Pt/Co/AlO dots
during current pulse injection. Time-resolved x-ray images with 25 nm spatial
and 100 ps temporal resolution reveal that switching is achieved within the
duration of a sub-ns current pulse by the fast nucleation of an inverted domain
at the edge of the dot and propagation of a tilted domain wall across the dot.
The nucleation point is deterministic and alternates between the four dot
quadrants depending on the sign of the magnetization, current, and external
field. Our measurements reveal how the magnetic symmetry is broken by the
concerted action of both damping-like and field-like SOT and show that
reproducible switching events can be obtained for over reversal
cycles
Time- and spatially-resolved magnetization dynamics driven by spin-orbit torques
Current-induced spin-orbit torques (SOTs) represent one of the most effective
ways to manipulate the magnetization in spintronic devices. The orthogonal
torque-magnetization geometry, the strong damping, and the large domain wall
velocities inherent to materials with strong spin-orbit coupling make SOTs
especially appealing for fast switching applications in nonvolatile memory and
logic units. So far, however, the timescale and evolution of the magnetization
during the switching process have remained undetected. Here, we report the
direct observation of SOT-driven magnetization dynamics in Pt/Co/AlO dots
during current pulse injection. Time-resolved x-ray images with 25 nm spatial
and 100 ps temporal resolution reveal that switching is achieved within the
duration of a sub-ns current pulse by the fast nucleation of an inverted domain
at the edge of the dot and propagation of a tilted domain wall across the dot.
The nucleation point is deterministic and alternates between the four dot
quadrants depending on the sign of the magnetization, current, and external
field. Our measurements reveal how the magnetic symmetry is broken by the
concerted action of both damping-like and field-like SOT and show that
reproducible switching events can be obtained for over reversal
cycles
Spatially resolved ultrafast precessional magnetization reversal
Spatially resolved measurements of quasi-ballistic precessional magnetic
switching in a microstructure are presented. Crossing current wires allow
detailed study of the precessional switching induced by coincident longitudinal
and transverse magnetic field pulses. Though the response is initially
spatially uniform, dephasing occurs leading to nonuniformity and transient
demagnetization. This nonuniformity comes in spite of a novel method for
suppression of end domains in remanence. The results have implications for the
reliability of ballistic precessional switching in magnetic devices.Comment: 17 pages (including 4 figures), submitted to Phys. Rev. Let
Individual scatterers as microscopic origin of equilibration between spin- polarized edge channels in the quantum Hall regime
The equilibration length between spin-polarized edge states in the Quantum
Hall regime is measured as a function of a gate voltage applied to an electrode
on top of the edge channels. Reproducible fluctuations in the coupling are
observed and interpreted as a mesoscopic fingerprint of single spin-flip
scatterers which are turned on and off. A model to analyze macroscopic edge
state coupling in terms of individual scatterers is developed, and
characteristic values for these scatterers in our samples are extracted. For
all samples investigated, the distance between spin-flip scatterers lies
between the Drude and the quantum scattering length.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure
Effect of incoherent scattering on shot noise correlations in the quantum Hall regime
We investigate the effect of incoherent scattering in a Hanbury Brown and
Twiss situation with electrons in edge states of a three-terminal conductor
submitted to a strong perpendicular magnetic field. The modelization of
incoherent scattering is performed by introducing an additional voltage probe
through which the current is kept equal to zero which causes voltage
fluctuations at this probe. It is shown that inelastic scattering can lead in
this framework to positive correlations, whereas correlations remain always
negative for quasi-elastic scattering.Comment: 5 pages latex, 5 eps figure
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