Inverse Statistical Mechanics: Probing the Limitations of Isotropic Pair Potentials to Produce Ground-State Structural Extremes

Inverse statistical-mechanical methods have recently been employed to design optimized short-ranged radial (isotropic) pair potentials that robustly produce novel targeted classical ground-state many-particle configurations. The target structures considered in those studies were low-coordinated crystals with a high degree of symmetry. In this paper, we further test the fundamental limitations of radial pair potentials by targeting crystal structures with appreciably less symmetry, including those in which the particles have different local structural environments. These challenging target configurations demanded that we modify previous inverse optimization techniques. Using this modified optimization technique, we have designed short-ranged radial pair potentials that stabilize the two-dimensional kagome crystal, the rectangular kagome crystal, and rectangular lattices, as well as the three-dimensional structure of CaF$_2$ crystal inhabited by a single particle species. We verify our results by cooling liquid configurations to absolute zero temperature via simulated annealing and ensuring that such states have stable phonon spectra. Except for the rectangular kagome structure, all of the target structures can be stabilized with monotonic repulsive potentials. Our work demonstrates that single-component systems with short-ranged radial pair potentials can counterintuitively self-assemble into crystal ground states with low symmetry and different local structural environments. Finally, we present general principles that offer guidance in determining whether certain target structures can be achieved as ground states by radial pair potentials

Spin Dynamics in the Second Subband of a Quasi Two Dimensional System Studied in a Single Barrier Heterostructure by Time Resolved Kerr Rotation

By biasing a single barrier heterostructure with a 500nm-thick GaAs layer as the absorption layer, the spin dynamics for both of the first and second subband near the AlAs barrier are examined. We find that when simultaneously scanning the photon energy of both the probe and pump beams, a sign reversal of the Kerr rotation (KR) takes place as long as the probe photons break away the first subband and probe the second subband. This novel feature, while stemming from the exchange interaction, has been used to unambiguously distinguish the different spin dynamics ($T_2^{1*}$ and $T_2^{2*}$) for the first and second subbands under the different conditions by their KR signs (negative for $1^{st}$ and positive for $2^{nd}$). In the zero magnetic field, by scanning the wavelength towards the short wavelength, $T_2^{1*}$ decreases in accordance with the D'yakonov-Perel' (DP) spin decoherence mechanism. At 803nm, $T_2^{2*}$(450ps) becomes ten times longer than $T_2^{1*}$(50ps). However, the value of $T_2^{2*}$ at 803nm is roughly the same as the value of $T_2^{1*}$ at 815nm. A new feature has been disclosed at the wavelength of 811nm under the bias of -0.3V (807nm under the bias of -0.6V) that the spin coherence times ($T_2^{1*}$ and $T_2^{2*}$) and the effective $g^*$ factors ($|g^*(E1)|$ and $|g^*(E2)|$) all display a sudden change, due to the "resonant" spin exchange coupling between two spin opposite bands.Comment: 9pages, 3 figure

Is perpendicular magnetic anisotropy essential to all-optical ultrafast spin reversal in ferromagnets?

All-optical spin reversal presents a new opportunity for spin manipulations, free of a magnetic field. Most of all-optical-spin-reversal ferromagnets are found to have a perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA), but it has been unknown whether PMA is necessary for the spin reversal. Here we theoretically investigate magnetic thin films with either PMA or in-plane magnetic anisotropy (IMA). Our results show that the spin reversal in IMA systems is possible, but only with a longer laser pulse and within a narrow laser parameter region. The spin reversal does not show a strong helicity dependence where the left- and right-circularly polarized light lead to the identical results. By contrast, the spin reversal in PMA systems is robust, provided both the spin angular momentum and laser field are strong enough while the magnetic anisotropy itself is not too strong. This explains why experimentally the majority of all-optical spin-reversal samples are found to have strong PMA and why spins in Fe nanoparticles only cant out of plane. It is the laser-induced spin-orbit torque that plays a key role in the spin reversal. Surprisingly, the same spin-orbit torque results in laser-induced spin rectification in spin-mixed configuration, a prediction that can be tested experimentally. Our results clearly point out that PMA is essential to the spin reversal, though there is an opportunity for in-plane spin reversal.Comment: 20 pages, 4 figures and one tabl