Spin Motion in Electron Transmission through Ultrathin Ferromagnetic Films Accessed by Photoelectron Spectroscopy

Ab initio and model calculations demonstrate that the spin motion of electrons transmitted through ferromagnetic films can be analyzed in detail by means of angle- and spin-resolved core-level photoelectron spectroscopy. The spin motion appears as precession of the photoelectron spin polarization around and as relaxation towards the magnetization direction. In a systematic study for ultrathin Fe films on Pd(001) we elucidate its dependence on the Fe film thickness and on the Fe electronic structure. In addition to elastic and inelastic scattering, the effect of band gaps on the spin motion is addressed in particular.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure

Ultrathin 2 nm gold as ideal impedance-matched absorber for infrared light

Thermal detectors are a cornerstone of infrared (IR) and terahertz (THz) technology due to their broad spectral range. These detectors call for suitable broad spectral absorbers with minimalthermal mass. Often this is realized by plasmonic absorbers, which ensure a high absorptivity butonly for a narrow spectral band. Alternativly, a common approach is based on impedance-matching the sheet resistance of a thin metallic film to half the free-space impedance. Thereby, it is possible to achieve a wavelength-independent absorptivity of up to 50 %, depending on the dielectric properties of the underlying substrate. However, existing absorber films typicallyrequire a thickness of the order of tens of nanometers, such as titanium nitride (14 nm), whichcan significantly deteriorate the response of a thermal transducers. Here, we present the application of ultrathin gold (2 nm) on top of a 1.2 nm copper oxide seed layer as an effective IR absorber. An almost wavelength-independent and long-time stable absorptivity of 47(3) %, ranging from 2 $\mu$m to 20 $\mu$m, could be obtained and is further discussed. The presented gold thin-film represents analmost ideal impedance-matched IR absorber that allows a significant improvement of state-of-the-art thermal detector technology

Juvenile hormone regulates body size and perturbs insulin signaling in Drosophila

The role of juvenile hormone (JH) in regulating the timing and nature of insect molts is well-established. Increasing evidence suggests that JH is also involved in regulating final insect size. Here we elucidate the developmental mechanism through which JH regulates body size in developing Drosophila larvae by genetically ablating the JH-producing organ, the corpora allata (CA). We found that larvae that lack CA pupariated at smaller sizes than control larvae due to a reduced larval growth rate. Neither the timing of the metamorphic molt nor the duration of larval growth was affected by the loss of JH. Further, we show that the effects of JH on growth rate are dependent on the forkhead box O transcription factor (FOXO), which is negatively regulated by the insulin-signaling pathway. Larvae that lacked the CA had elevated levels of FOXO activity, whereas a loss-of-function mutation of FOXO rescued the effects of CA ablation on final body size. Finally, the effect of JH on growth appears to be mediated, at least in part, via ecdysone synthesis in the prothoracic gland. These results indicate a role of JH in regulating growth rate via the ecdysone- and insulin-signaling pathways.National Science Foundation Grants: (IOS-0919855, IOS-084584), Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, FCT : [SFRH/Bolsas de Pós-Doutoramento (BPD)/74313/2010]

Adsorption of benzene on Si(100) from first principles

Adsorption of benzene on the Si(100) surface is studied from first principles. We find that the most stable configuration is a tetra-$\sigma$-bonded structure characterized by one C-C double bond and four C-Si bonds. A similar structure, obtained by rotating the benzene molecule by 90 degrees, lies slightly higher in energy. However, rather narrow wells on the potential energy surface characterize these adsorption configurations. A benzene molecule impinging on the Si surface is most likely to be adsorbed in one of three different di-$\sigma$-bonded, metastable structures, characterized by two C-Si bonds, and eventually converts into the lowest-energy configurations. These results are consistent with recent experiments.Comment: 4 pages, RevTex, 2 PostScript gzipped figure

On the interpretation of spin-polarized electron energy loss spectra

We study the origin of the structure in the spin-polarized electron energy loss spectroscopy (SPEELS) spectra of ferromagnetic crystals. Our study is based on a 3d tight-binding Fe model, with constant onsite Coulomb repulsion U between electrons of opposite spin. We find it is not the total density of Stoner states as a function of energy loss which determines the response of the system in the Stoner region, as usually thought, but the densities of Stoner states for only a few interband transitions. Which transitions are important depends ultimately on how strongly umklapp processes couple the corresponding bands. This allows us to show, in particular, that the Stoner peak in SPEELS spectra does not necessarily indicate the value of the exchange splitting energy. Thus, the common assumption that this peak allows us to estimate the magnetic moment through its correlation with exchange splitting should be reconsidered, both in bulk and surface studies. Furthermore, we are able to show that the above mechanism is one of the main causes for the typical broadness of experimental spectra. Finally, our model predicts that optical spin waves should be excited in SPEELS experiments.Comment: 11 pages, 7 eps figures, REVTeX fil

Ferromagnetism and Temperature-Driven Reorientation Transition in Thin Itinerant-Electron Films

The temperature-driven reorientation transition which, up to now, has been studied by use of Heisenberg-type models only, is investigated within an itinerant-electron model. We consider the Hubbard model for a thin fcc(100) film together with the dipole interaction and a layer-dependent anisotropy field. The isotropic part of the model is treated by use of a generalization of the spectral-density approach to the film geometry. The magnetic properties of the film are investigated as a function of temperature and film thickness and are analyzed in detail with help of the spin- and layer-dependent quasiparticle density of states. By calculating the temperature dependence of the second-order anisotropy constants we find that both types of reorientation transitions, from out-of-plane to in-plane (``Fe-type'') and from in-plane to out-of-plane (``Ni-type'') magnetization are possible within our model. In the latter case the inclusion of a positive volume anisotropy is vital. The reorientation transition is mediated by a strong reduction of the surface magnetization with respect to the inner layers as a function of temperature and is found to depend significantly on the total band occupation.Comment: 10 pages, 8 figures included (eps), Phys Rev B in pres

Predicting the Amplitude of a Solar Cycle Using the North-South Asymmetry in the Previous Cycle: II. An Improved Prediction for Solar Cycle~24

Recently, using Greenwich and Solar Optical Observing Network sunspot group data during the period 1874-2006, (Javaraiah, MNRAS, 377, L34, 2007: Paper I), has found that: (1) the sum of the areas of the sunspot groups in 0-10 deg latitude interval of the Sun's northern hemisphere and in the time-interval of -1.35 year to +2.15 year from the time of the preceding minimum of a solar cycle n correlates well (corr. coeff. r=0.947) with the amplitude (maximum of the smoothed monthly sunspot number) of the next cycle n+1. (2) The sum of the areas of the spot groups in 0-10 deg latitude interval of the southern hemisphere and in the time-interval of 1.0 year to 1.75 year just after the time of the maximum of the cycle n correlates very well (r=0.966) with the amplitude of cycle n+1. Using these relations, (1) and (2), the values 112 + or - 13 and 74 + or -10, respectively, were predicted in Paper I for the amplitude of the upcoming cycle 24. Here we found that in case of (1), the north-south asymmetry in the area sum of a cycle n also has a relationship, say (3), with the amplitude of cycle n+1, which is similar to (1) but more statistically significant (r=0.968) like (2). By using (3) it is possible to predict the amplitude of a cycle with a better accuracy by about 13 years in advance, and we get 103 + or -10 for the amplitude of the upcoming cycle 24. However, we found a similar but a more statistically significant (r=0.983) relationship, say (4), by using the sum of the area sum used in (2) and the north-south difference used in (3). By using (4) it is possible to predict the amplitude of a cycle by about 9 years in advance with a high accuracy and we get 87 + or - 7 for the amplitude of cycle 24.Comment: 21 pages, 7 figures, Published in Solar Physics 252, 419-439 (2008

Modeling the Subsurface Structure of Sunspots

While sunspots are easily observed at the solar surface, determining their subsurface structure is not trivial. There are two main hypotheses for the subsurface structure of sunspots: the monolithic model and the cluster model. Local helioseismology is the only means by which we can investigate subphotospheric structure. However, as current linear inversion techniques do not yet allow helioseismology to probe the internal structure with sufficient confidence to distinguish between the monolith and cluster models, the development of physically realistic sunspot models are a priority for helioseismologists. This is because they are not only important indicators of the variety of physical effects that may influence helioseismic inferences in active regions, but they also enable detailed assessments of the validity of helioseismic interpretations through numerical forward modeling. In this paper, we provide a critical review of the existing sunspot models and an overview of numerical methods employed to model wave propagation through model sunspots. We then carry out an helioseismic analysis of the sunspot in Active Region 9787 and address the serious inconsistencies uncovered by \citeauthor{gizonetal2009}~(\citeyear{gizonetal2009,gizonetal2009a}). We find that this sunspot is most probably associated with a shallow, positive wave-speed perturbation (unlike the traditional two-layer model) and that travel-time measurements are consistent with a horizontal outflow in the surrounding moat.Comment: 73 pages, 19 figures, accepted by Solar Physic