6,484 research outputs found
Dynamics of coupled vortices in layered magnetic nanodots
The spin dynamics are calculated for a model system consisting of
magnetically soft, layered nanomagnets, in which two ferromagnetic (F)
cylindrical dots, each with a magnetic vortex ground state, are separated by a
non-magnetic spacer (N). This permits a study of the effects of interlayer
magnetostatic interactions on the vortex dynamics. The system was explored by
applying the equations of motion for the vortex core positions. The restoring
force was calculated taking into account the magnetostatic interactions
assuming a realistic surface charge free spin distribution. For tri-layer F/N/F
dots with opposite chiralities and the same core polarizations (lowest energy
state), two eigenmodes are predicted analytically and confirmed via
micromagnetic simulations. One mode is in the sub-GHz range for submicron dot
diameters and corresponds to quasi-circular rotation of the cores about the dot
center. A second mode is in the MHz range corresponding to a small amplitude
rotation of the mean core position. The eigenfrequencies depend strongly on the
geometrical parameters of the system, suggesting that magnetostatic effects
play a dominant role in determining the vortex dynamics.Comment: One PDF file including text and 4 figure
Magnetic Vortex Resonance in Patterned Ferromagnetic Dots
We report a high-resolution experimental detection of the resonant behavior
of magnetic vortices confined in small disk-shaped ferromagnetic dots. The
samples are magnetically soft Fe-Ni disks of diameter 1.1 and 2.2 um, and
thickness 20 and 40 nm patterned via electron beam lithography onto microwave
co-planar waveguides. The vortex excitation spectra were probed by a vector
network analyzer operating in reflection mode, which records the derivative of
the real and the imaginary impedance as a function of frequency. The spectra
show well-defined resonance peaks in magnetic fields smaller than the
characteristic vortex annihilation field. Resonances at 162 and 272 MHz were
detected for 2.2 and 1.1 um disks with thickness 40 nm, respectively. A
resonance peak at 83 MHz was detected for 20-nm thick, 2-um diameter disks. The
resonance frequencies exhibit weak field dependence, and scale as a function of
the dot geometrical aspect ratio. The measured frequencies are well described
by micromagnetic and analytical calculations that rely only on known properties
of the dots (such as the dot diameter, thickness, saturation magnetization, and
exchange stiffness constant) without any adjustable parameters. We find that
the observed resonance originates from the translational motion of the magnetic
vortex core.Comment: submitted to PRB, 17 pages, 5 Fig
Magnetic Vortex Core Dynamics in a Ferromagnetic Dot
We report direct imaging by means of x-ray photoemission electron microscopy
of the dynamics of magnetic vortices confined in micron-size circular Permalloy
dots that are 30 nm thick. The vortex core positions oscillate on a 10-ns
timescale in a self-induced magnetostatic potential well after the in-plane
magnetic field is turned off. The measured oscillation frequencies as a
function of the aspect ratio (thickness/radius) of the dots are in agreement
with theoretical calculations presented for the same geometry.Comment: 18 pages including 4 figure
Cortical circuit alterations precede motor impairments in Huntington's disease mice
Huntington's disease (HD) is a devastating hereditary movement disorder, characterized by degeneration of neurons in the striatum and cortex. Studies in human patients and mouse HD models suggest that disturbances of neuronal function in the neocortex play an important role in disease onset and progression. However, the precise nature and time course of cortical alterations in HD have remained elusive. Here, we use chronic in vivo two-photon calcium imaging to longitudinally monitor the activity of identified single neurons in layer 2/3 of the primary motor cortex in awake, behaving R6/2 transgenic HD mice and wildtype littermates. R6/2 mice show age-dependent changes in cortical network function, with an increase in activity that affects a large fraction of cells and occurs rather abruptly within one week, preceeding the onset of motor defects. Furthermore, quantitative proteomics demonstrate a pronounced downregulation of synaptic proteins in the cortex, and histological analyses in R6/2 mice and human HD autopsy cases reveal a reduction in perisomatic inhibitory synaptic contacts on layer 2/3 pyramidal cells. Taken together, our study provides a time-resolved description of cortical network dysfunction in behaving HD mice and points to disturbed excitation/inhibition balance as an important pathomechanism in HD
Charge transfer and adhesion in Rh/MgO(001)
Ab initio density functional calculations are reported for Rh adlayers on MgO(001) at coverages of 1, 1/2 and 1/8 monolayers. It is shown that charge is transferred from oxide surface to the Rh adatoms. The transfer ranges from 0.06 e to 0.27 e, depending upon adsorption site and coverage. In comparison, transfers of 0.08 e from adatom to surface and 0.32 e surface to adatom are found for monolayer coverages of Mg and O, respectively. With the Rh adatoms, significant charge polarization of both Rh and the surface are also seen, but it is never-the-less found that the adhesion energy is linearly related to the charge transfer, with the most stable adsorption site at any particular coverage being the one at which the charge transfer is a maximum
Molecular dynamics simulation of nanocolloidal amorphous silica particles: Part II
Explicit molecular dynamics simulations were applied to a pair of amorphous
silica nanoparticles of diameter 3.2 nm immersed in a background electrolyte.
Mean forces acting between the pair of silica nanoparticles were extracted at
four different background electrolyte concentrations. Dependence of the
inter-particle potential of mean force on the separation and the silicon to
sodium ratio, as well as on the background electrolyte concentration, are
demonstrated. The pH was indirectly accounted for via the ratio of silicon to
sodium used in the simulations. The nature of the interaction of the
counter-ions with charged silica surface sites (deprotonated silanols) was also
investigated. The effect of the sodium double layer on the water ordering was
investigated for three Si:Na+ ratios. The number of water molecules trapped
inside the nanoparticles was investigated as the Si:Na+ ratio was varied.
Differences in this number between the two nanoparticles in the simulations are
attributed to differences in the calculated electric dipole moment. The
implications of the form of the potentials for aggregation are also discussed.Comment: v1. 33 pages, 7 figures (screen-quality PDF), submitted to J. Chem.
Phys v2. 15 pages, 4 tables, 6 figures. Content, author list and title
changed; single space
Strong coupling in the Kondo problem in the low-temperature region
The magnetic field dependence of the average spin of a localized electron
coupled to conduction electrons with an antiferromagnetic exchange interaction
is found for the ground state. In the magnetic field range
( is the Kondo temperature) there is an inflection point, and in the
strong magnetic field range , the correction to the average spin
is proportional to . In zero magnetic field, the interaction
with conduction electrons also leads to the splitting of doubly degenerate spin
impurity states
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