251 research outputs found
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
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
On the nature of steady states of spin distributions in the presence of spin-orbit interactions
In the presence of spin-orbit interactions, the steady state established for
spin distributions in an electric field is qualitatively different from the
steady state for charge distributions. This is primarily because the steady
state established for spin distributions involves spin precession due to
spin-orbit coupling. We demonstrate in this work that the spin density matrix
in an external electric field acquires two corrections with different
dependencies on the characteristic momentum scattering time. One part is
associated with conserved spins, diverges in the clean limit and is responsible
for the establishment of a steady-state spin density in electric fields.
Another part is associated with precessing spins, is finite in the clean limit
and is responsible for the establishment of spin currents in electric fields.
Scattering between these distributions has important consequences for spin
dynamics and spin-related effects in general, and explains some recent puzzling
observations, which are captured by our unified theory.Comment: 10 pages, 1 figur
Ranks of ideals in inverse semigroups of difunctional binary relations
The set Dn of all difunctional relations on an n element set is an inverse semigroup under a variation of the usual composition operation. We solve an open problem of Kudryavtseva and Maltcev (Publ Math Debrecen 78(2):253–282, 2011), which asks: What is the rank (smallest size of a generating set) of Dn? Specifically, we show that the rank of Dn is B(n)+n, where B(n) is the nth Bell number. We also give the rank of an arbitrary ideal of Dn. Although Dn bears many similarities with families such as the full transformation semigroups and symmetric inverse semigroups (all contain the symmetric group and have a chain of J-classes), we note that the fast growth of rank(Dn) as a function of n is a property not shared with these other families
Rolled-Up Nanotech: Illumination-Controlled Hydrofluoric Acid Etching of AlAs Sacrificial Layers
<p>Abstract</p> <p>The effect of illumination on the hydrofluoric acid etching of AlAs sacrificial layers with systematically varied thicknesses in order to release and roll up InGaAs/GaAs bilayers was studied. For thicknesses of AlAs below 10 nm, there were two etching regimes for the area under illumination: one at low illumination intensities, in which the etching and releasing proceeds as expected and one at higher intensities in which the etching and any releasing are completely suppressed. The “etch suppression” area is well defined by the illumination spot, a feature that can be used to create heterogeneously etched regions with a high degree of control, shown here on patterned samples. Together with the studied self-limitation effect, the technique offers a way to determine the position of rolled-up micro- and nanotubes independently from the predefined lithographic pattern.</p
北海道における知的障がい者の就労支援に関する一考察
知的障がい者の就労について、北海道及び北海道教育委員会が進めている障が いのある人の就労支援の充実に向けた取組の状況を概観することに加えて、北海道内 の特別支援学校在籍者の約8割を占めている知的障がい特別支援学校の現状や就労支 援の取組について整理した。北海道において障がいある人の就労に大きな役割を果た してきた職親会の設立の経緯やなよろ地方職親会の障がい者雇用の状況やジョブコー チ養成研修の成果をまとめた。以上のことを踏まえて、知的障がい者の就労支援やキ ャリア教育の在り方について考察する
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
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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