38,106 research outputs found
Vortex rectification effects in films with periodic asymmetric pinning
We study the transport of vortices excited by an ac current in an Al film
with an array of nanoengineered asymmetric antidots. The vortex response to the
ac current is investigated by detailed measurements of the voltage output as a
function of ac current amplitude, magnetic field and temperature. The
measurements revealed pronounced voltage rectification effects which are mainly
characterized by the two critical depinning forces of the asymmetric potential.
The shape of the net dc voltage as a function of the excitation amplitude
indicates that our vortex ratchet behaves in a way very different from standard
overdamped models. Rather, as demonstrated by the observed output signal, the
repinning force, necessary to stop vortex motion, is considerably smaller than
the depinning force, resembling the behavior of the so-called inertia ratchets.
Calculations based on an underdamped ratchet model provide a very good fit to
the experimental data.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure
Vacuum fluctuations of a scalar field near a reflecting boundary and their effects on the motion of a test particle
The contribution from quantum vacuum fluctuations of a real massless scalar
field to the motion of a test particle that interacts with the field in the
presence of a perfectly reflecting flat boundary is here investigated. There is
no quantum induced dispersions on the motion of the particle when it is alone
in the empty space. However, when a reflecting wall is introduced, dispersions
occur with magnitude dependent on how fast the system evolves between the two
scenarios. A possible way of implementing this process would be by means of an
idealized sudden switching, for which the transition occurs instantaneously.
Although the sudden process is a simple and mathematically convenient
idealization it brings some divergences to the results, particularly at a time
corresponding to a round trip of a light signal between the particle and the
wall. It is shown that the use of smooth switching functions, besides
regularizing such divergences, enables us to better understand the behavior of
the quantum dispersions induced on the motion of the particle. Furthermore, the
action of modifying the vacuum state of the system leads to a change in the
particle energy that depends on how fast the transition between these states is
implemented. Possible implications of these results to the similar case of an
electric charge near a perfectly conducting wall are discussed.Comment: 17 pages, 8 figure
Search for Associations Containing Young stars (SACY): Chemical tagging IC 2391 & the Argus association
We explore the possible connection between the open cluster IC 2391 and the
unbound Argus association identified by the SACY survey. In addition to common
kinematics and ages between these two systems, here we explore their chemical
abundance patterns to confirm if the two substructures shared a common origin.
We carry out a homogenous high-resolution elemental abundance study of eight
confirmed members of IC 2391 as well as six members of the Argus association
using UVES spectra. We derive spectroscopic stellar parameters and abundances
for Fe, Na, Mg, Al, Si, Ca, Ti, Cr, Ni and Ba.
All stars in the open cluster and Argus association were found to share
similar abundances with the scatter well within the uncertainties, where [Fe/H]
= -0.04 +/-0.03 for cluster stars and [Fe/H] = -0.06 +/-0.05 for Argus stars.
Effects of over-ionisation/excitation were seen for stars cooler than roughly
5200K as previously noted in the literature. Also, enhanced Ba abundances of
around 0.6 dex were observed in both systems. The common ages, kinematics and
chemical abundances strongly support that the Argus association stars
originated from the open cluster IC 2391. Simple modeling of this system find
this dissolution to be consistent with two-body interactions.Comment: 17 pages, 7 figs, accepted for publication in MNRA
Deflection of (anti)ferromagnetic skyrmions at heterochiral interfaces
Devising magnetic nanostructures with spatially heterogeneous
Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI) is a promising pathway towards advanced
confinement and control of magnetic skyrmions in potential devices. Here we
discuss theoretically how a skyrmion interacts with a heterochiral interface
using micromagnetic simulations and analytic arguments. We show that a
heterochiral interface deflects the trajectory of ferromagnetic (FM) skyrmions,
and that the extent of such deflection is tuned by the applied spin-polarized
current and the difference in DMI across the interface. Further, we show that
this deflection is characteristic for the FM skyrmion, and is completely absent
in the antiferromagnetic (AFM) case. In turn, we reveal that the AFM skyrmion
achieves much higher velocities than its FM counterpart, yet experiences far
stronger confinement in nanoengineered heterochiral tracks, which reinforces
AFM skyrmions as a favorable choice for skyrmion-based devices
Manipulation of Magnetic Skyrmions by Superconducting Vortices in Ferromagnet-Superconductor Heterostructures
Dynamics of magnetic skyrmions in hybrid ferromagnetic films harbors novel
physical phenomena and holds promise for technological applications. In this
work, we discuss the behavior of magnetic skyrmions when coupled to
superconducting vortices in a ferromagnet-superconductor heterostructure. We
use numerical simulations and analytic arguments to reveal broader
possibilities for manipulating the skyrmion-vortex dynamic correlations in the
hybrid system, that are not possible in its separated constituents. We explore
the thresholds of particular dynamic phases, and quantify the phase diagram as
a function of the relevant material parameters, applied current and induced
magnetic torques. Finally, we demonstrate the broad and precise tunability of
the skyrmion Hall-angle in presence of vortices, with respect to currents
applied to either or both the superconductor and the ferromagnet within the
heterostructure
Local mapping of dissipative vortex motion
We explore, with unprecedented single vortex resolution, the dissipation and
motion of vortices in a superconducting ribbon under the influence of an
external alternating magnetic field. This is achieved by combing the phase
sensitive character of ac-susceptibility, allowing to distinguish between the
inductive-and dissipative response, with the local power of scanning Hall probe
microscopy. Whereas the induced reversible screening currents contribute only
inductively, the vortices do leave a fingerprint in the out-of-phase component.
The observed large phase-lag demonstrates the dissipation of vortices at
timescales comparable to the period of the driving force (i.e. 13 ms). These
results indicate the presence of slow microscopic loss mechanisms mediated by
thermally activated hopping transport of vortices between metastable states.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figure
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