162 research outputs found
First principles calculation of structural and magnetic properties for Fe monolayers and bilayers on W(110)
Structure optimizations were performed for 1 and 2 monolayers (ML) of Fe on a
5 ML W(110) substrate employing the all-electron full-potential linearized
augmented plane-wave (FP-LAPW) method. The magnetic moments were also obtained
for the converged and optimized structures. We find significant contractions
( 10 %) for both the Fe-W and the neighboring Fe-Fe interlayer spacings
compared to the corresponding bulk W-W and Fe-Fe interlayer spacings. Compared
to the Fe bcc bulk moment of 2.2 , the magnetic moment for the surface
layer of Fe is enhanced (i) by 15% to 2.54 for 1 ML Fe/5 ML W(110), and
(ii) by 29% to 2.84 for 2 ML Fe/5 ML W(110). The inner Fe layer for 2
ML Fe/5 ML W(110) has a bulk-like moment of 2.3 . These results agree
well with previous experimental data
Epitaxial film growth and magnetic properties of Co_2FeSi
We have grown thin films of the Heusler compound Co_2FeSi by RF magnetron
sputtering. On (100)-oriented MgO substrates we find fully epitaxial
(100)-oriented and L2_1 ordered growth. On Al_2O_3 (11-20) substrates, the film
growth is (110)-oriented, and several in-plane epitaxial domains are observed.
The temperature dependence of the electrical resistivity shows a power law with
an exponent of 7/2 at low temperatures. Investigation of the bulk magnetic
properties reveals an extrapolated saturation magnetization of 5.0 mu_B/fu at 0
K. The films on Al_2O_3 show an in-plane uniaxial anisotropy, while the
epitaxial films are magnetically isotropic in the plane. Measurements of the
X-ray magnetic circular dichroism of the films allowed us to determine element
specific magnetic moments. Finally we have measured the spin polarization at
the surface region by spin-resolved near-threshold photoemission and found it
strongly reduced in contrast to the expected bulk value of 100%. Possible
reasons for the reduced magnetization are discussed.Comment: 9 pages, 12 figure
Monte Carlo Simulation of Magnetization Reversal in Fe Sesquilayers on W(110)
Iron sesquilayers grown at room temperature on W(110) exhibit a pronounced
coercivity maximum near a coverage of 1.5 atomic monolayers. On lattices which
faithfully reproduce the morphology of the real films, a kinetic Ising model is
utilized to simulate the domain-wall motion. Simulations reveal that the
dynamics is dominated by the second-layer islands, which act as pinning
centers. The simulated dependencies of the coercivity on the film coverage, as
well as on the temperature and the frequency of the applied field, are very
similar to those measured in experiments. Unlike previous micromagnetic models,
the presented approach provides insight into the dynamics of the domain-wall
motion and clearly reveals the role of thermal fluctuations.Comment: Final version to appear in Phys. Rev. B. References to related works
added. 7 pages, 5 figures, RevTex, mpeg simulations available at
http://www.scri.fsu.edu/~rikvol
Writing and Reading antiferromagnetic MnAu: N\'eel spin-orbit torques and large anisotropic magnetoresistance
Antiferromagnets are magnetically ordered materials which exhibit no net
moment and thus are insensitive to magnetic fields. Antiferromagnetic
spintronics aims to take advantage of this insensitivity for enhanced
stability, while at the same time active manipulation up to the natural THz
dynamic speeds of antiferromagnets is possible, thus combining exceptional
storage density and ultra-fast switching. However, the active manipulation and
read-out of the N\'eel vector (staggered moment) orientation is challenging.
Recent predictions have opened up a path based on a new spin-orbit torque,
which couples directly to the N\'eel order parameter. This N\'eel spin-orbit
torque was first experimentally demonstrated in a pioneering work using
semimetallic CuMnAs. Here we demonstrate for MnAu, a good conductor with a
high ordering temperature suitable for applications, reliable and reproducible
switching using current pulses and readout by magnetoresistance measurements.
The symmetry of the torques agrees with theoretical predictions and a large
read-out magnetoresistance effect of more than ~ is reproduced by
ab initio transport calculations.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure
Structural and Magnetic Dynamics in the Magnetic Shape Memory Alloy NiMnGa
Magnetic shape memory Heusler alloys are multiferroics stabilized by the
correlations between electronic, magnetic and structural order. To study these
correlations we use time resolved x-ray diffraction and magneto-optical Kerr
effect experiments to measure the laser induced dynamics in a Heusler alloy
NiMnGa film and reveal a set of timescales intrinsic to the system. We
observe a coherent phonon which we identify as the amplitudon of the modulated
structure and an ultrafast phase transition leading to a quenching of the
incommensurate modulation within 300~fs with a recovery time of a few ps. The
thermally driven martensitic transition to the high temperature cubic phase
proceeds via nucleation within a few ps and domain growth limited by the speed
of sound. The demagnetization time is 320~fs, which is comparable to the
quenching of the structural modulation.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures. Supplementary materials 5 pages, 5 figure
Anomalous transport properties of the halfmetallic ferromagnets Co2TiSi, Co2TiGe, and Co2TiSn
In this work the theoretical and experimental investigations of Co2TiZ (Z =
Si, Ge, or Sn) compounds are reported. Half-metallic ferromagnetism is
predicted for all three compounds with only two bands crossing the Fermi energy
in the majority channel. The magnetic moments fulfill the Slater-Pauling rule
and the Curie temperatures are well above room temperature. All compounds show
a metallic like resistivity for low temperatures up to their Curie temperature,
above the resistivity changes to semiconducting like behavior. A large negative
magnetoresistance of 55% is observed for Co2TiSn at room temperature in an
applied magnetic field of 4T which is comparable to the large negative
magnetoresistances of the manganites. The Seebeck coefficients are negative for
all three compounds and reach their maximum values at their respective Curie
temperatures and stay almost constant up to 950 K. The highest value achieved
is -52muV/K m for Co2TiSn which is large for a metal. The combination of
half-metallicity and the constant large Seebeck coefficient over a wide
temperature range makes these compounds interesting materials for
thermoelectric applications and further spincaloric investigations.Comment: 4 pages 4 figure
- …