202 research outputs found
Electric-field switchable magnetization via the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction: FeTiO_3 versus BiFeO_3
In this article we review and discuss a mechanism for coupling between
electric polarization and magnetization that can ultimately lead to
electric-field switchable magnetization. The basic idea is that a ferroelectric
distortion in an antiferromagnetic material can "switch on" the
Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction which leads to a canting of the
antiferromagnetic sublattice magnetizations, and thus to a net magnetization.
This magnetization M is coupled to the polarization P via a trilinear free
energy contribution of the form P(M x L), where L is the antiferromagnetic
order parameter. In particular, we discuss why such an invariant is present in
R3c FeTiO_3 but not in the isostructural multiferroic BiFeO_3. Finally, we
construct symmetry groups that in general allow for this kind of
ferroelectrically-induced weak ferromagnetism.Comment: 15 pages, 3 images, to appear in J. Phys: Condens. Matter Focus Issue
on Multiferroic
First-principles study of spontaneous polarization in multiferroic BiFeO
The ground-state structural and electronic properties of ferroelectric
BiFeO are calculated using density functional theory within the local
spin-density approximation and the LSDA+U method. The crystal structure is
computed to be rhombohedral with space group , and the electronic
structure is found to be insulating and antiferromagnetic, both in excellent
agreement with available experiments. A large ferroelectric polarization of
90-100 C/cm is predicted, consistent with the large atomic
displacements in the ferroelectric phase and with recent experimental reports,
but differing by an order of magnitude from early experiments. One possible
explanation is that the latter may have suffered from large leakage currents.
However both past and contemporary measurements are shown to be consistent with
the modern theory of polarization, suggesting that the range of reported
polarizations may instead correspond to distinct switching paths in structural
space. Modern measurements on well-characterized bulk samples are required to
confirm this interpretation.Comment: (9 pages, 5 figures, 5 tables
Origin of magnetoelectric behavior in BiFeO
The magnetoelectric behavior of BiFeO has been explored on the basis of
accurate density functional calculations. The structural, electronic, magnetic,
and ferroelectric properties of BiFeO are predicted correctly without
including strong correlation effect in the calculation. Moreover, the
experimentally-observed elongation of cubic perovskite-like lattice along the
[111] direction is correctly reproduced. At high pressure we predicted a
pressure-induced structural transition and the total energy calculations at
expanded lattice show two lower energy ferroelectric phases, closer in energy
to the ground state phase. Band-structure calculations show that BiFeO will
be an insulator in A- and G-type antiferromagnetic phases and a metal in other
magnetic configurations. Chemical bonding in BiFeO has been analyzed using
various tools and electron localization function analysis shows that
stereochemically active lone-pair electrons at the Bi sites are responsible for
displacements of the Bi atoms from the centro-symmetric to the
noncentrosymmetric structure and hence the ferroelectricity. A large
ferroelectric polarization (88.7 C/cm) is predicted in accordance
with recent experimental findings. The net polarization is found to mainly (
98%) originate from Bi atoms. Moreover the large scatter in experimentally
reported polarization values is due to the large anisotropy in the spontaneous
polarization.Comment: 19 pages, 12 figures, 4 table
Quantum Hall effect in a high-mobility two-dimensional electron gas on the surface of a cylinder
The quantum Hall effect is investigated in a high-mobility two-dimensional
electron gas on the surface of a cylinder. The novel topology leads to a
spatially varying filling factor along the current path. The resulting
inhomogeneous current-density distribution gives rise to additional features in
the magneto-transport, such as resistance asymmetry and modified longitudinal
resistances. We experimentally demonstrate that the asymmetry relations
satisfied in the integer filling factor regime are valid also in the transition
regime to non-integer filling factors, thereby suggesting a more general form
of these asymmetry relations. A model is developed based on the screening
theory of the integer quantum Hall effect that allows the self-consistent
calculation of the local electron density and thereby the local current density
including the current along incompressible stripes. The model, which also
includes the so-called `static skin effect' to account for the current density
distribution in the compressible regions, is capable of explaining the main
experimental observations. Due to the existence of an
incompressible-compressible transition in the bulk, the system behaves always
metal-like in contrast to the conventional Landauer-Buettiker description, in
which the bulk remains completely insulating throughout the quantized Hall
plateau regime
Symmetries of a class of nonlinear fourth order partial differential equations
In this paper we study symmetry reductions of a class of nonlinear fourth
order partial differential equations \be u_{tt} = \left(\kappa u + \gamma
u^2\right)_{xx} + u u_{xxxx} +\mu u_{xxtt}+\alpha u_x u_{xxx} + \beta u_{xx}^2,
\ee where , , , and are constants. This
equation may be thought of as a fourth order analogue of a generalization of
the Camassa-Holm equation, about which there has been considerable recent
interest. Further equation (1) is a ``Boussinesq-type'' equation which arises
as a model of vibrations of an anharmonic mass-spring chain and admits both
``compacton'' and conventional solitons. A catalogue of symmetry reductions for
equation (1) is obtained using the classical Lie method and the nonclassical
method due to Bluman and Cole. In particular we obtain several reductions using
the nonclassical method which are no} obtainable through the classical method
Melting as a String-Mediated Phase Transition
We present a theory of the melting of elemental solids as a
dislocation-mediated phase transition. We model dislocations near melt as
non-interacting closed strings on a lattice. In this framework we derive simple
expressions for the melting temperature and latent heat of fusion that depend
on the dislocation density at melt. We use experimental data for more than half
the elements in the Periodic Table to determine the dislocation density from
both relations. Melting temperatures yield a dislocation density of (0.61\pm
0.20) b^{-2}, in good agreement with the density obtained from latent heats,
(0.66\pm 0.11) b^{-2}, where b is the length of the smallest
perfect-dislocation Burgers vector. Melting corresponds to the situation where,
on average, half of the atoms are within a dislocation core.Comment: 18 pages, LaTeX, 3 eps figures, to appear in Phys. Rev.
Impurity breakdown and terahertz luminescence in n-GaN epilayers under external electric field
We report on the observation and experimental studies of impurity breakdown and terahertz luminescence in n-GaN epilayers under external electric field. The terahertz electroluminescence is observed in a wide range of doping levels (at noncompensated donor density from 4.5×10[sup 16] to 3.4×10[sup 18] cm[sup −3]). Spectra of terahertz luminescence and photoconductivity are studied by means of Fourier transform spectrometry. Distinctive features of the spectra can be assigned to intracenter electron transitions between excited and ground states of silicon and oxygen donors and to hot electron transitions to the donor states.Peer reviewe
BAs and boride III-V alloys
Boron arsenide, the typically-ignored member of the III-V arsenide series
BAs-AlAs-GaAs-InAs is found to resemble silicon electronically: its Gamma
conduction band minimum is p-like (Gamma_15), not s-like (Gamma_1c), it has an
X_1c-like indirect band gap, and its bond charge is distributed almost equally
on the two atoms in the unit cell, exhibiting nearly perfect covalency. The
reasons for these are tracked down to the anomalously low atomic p orbital
energy in the boron and to the unusually strong s-s repulsion in BAs relative
to most other III-V compounds. We find unexpected valence band offsets of BAs
with respect to GaAs and AlAs. The valence band maximum (VBM) of BAs is
significantly higher than that of AlAs, despite the much smaller bond length of
BAs, and the VBM of GaAs is only slightly higher than in BAs. These effects
result from the unusually strong mixing of the cation and anion states at the
VBM. For the BAs-GaAs alloys, we find (i) a relatively small (~3.5 eV) and
composition-independent band gap bowing. This means that while addition of
small amounts of nitrogen to GaAs lowers the gap, addition of small amounts of
boron to GaAs raises the gap (ii) boron ``semi-localized'' states in the
conduction band (similar to those in GaN-GaAs alloys), and (iii) bulk mixing
enthalpies which are smaller than in GaN-GaAs alloys. The unique features of
boride III-V alloys offer new opportunities in band gap engineering.Comment: 18 pages, 14 figures, 6 tables, 61 references. Accepted for
publication in Phys. Rev. B. Scheduled to appear Oct. 15 200
Size Quantization in Planar Graphene-Based Heterostructures: Pseudospin Splitting, Interface States, and Excitons
A planar quantum-well device made of a gapless graphene nanoribbon with edges
in contact with gapped graphene sheets is examined. The size-quantization
spectrum of charge carriers in an asymmetric quantum well is shown to exhibit a
pseudospin splitting. Interface states of a new type arise from the crossing of
dispersion curves of gapless and gapped graphene materials. The exciton
spectrum is calculated for a planar graphene quantum well. The effect of an
external electric field on the exciton spectrum is analyzed.Comment: 15 pages, 14 figure
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