Observation of Faraday rotation from a single confined spin

Ability to read-out the state of a single confined spin lies at the heart of solid-state quantum information processing. While all-optical spin measurements using Faraday rotation has been successfully implemented in ensembles of semiconductor spins, read-out of a single semiconductor spin has only been achieved using transport measurements based on spin-charge conversion. Here, we demonstrate an all-optical dispersive measurement of the spin-state of a single electron trapped in a semiconductor quantum dot. We obtain information on the spin state through conditional Faraday rotation of a spectrally detuned optical field, induced by the polarization- and spin-selective trion (charged quantum dot) transitions. To assess the sensitivity of the technique, we use an independent resonant laser for spin-state preparation. An all-optical dispersive measurement on single spins has the important advantage of channeling the measurement back-action onto a conjugate observable, thereby allowing for repetitive or continuous quantum nondemolition (QND) read-out of the spin-state. We infer from our results that there are of order unity back-action induced spin-flip Raman scattering events within our measurement timescale. Therefore, straightforward improvements such as the use of a solid-immersion lens and higher efficiency detectors would allow for back-action evading spin measurements, without the need for a cavity

Magnetism of Ho and Er Atoms on Close-Packed Metal Surfaces

We investigated the magnetic properties of individual Ho atoms adsorbed on the (111) surface of Pt, which have been recently claimed to display single ion magnetic behavior. By combining x-ray absorption spectroscopy and magnetic dichroism measurements with ligand field multiplet calculations, we reveal a ground state which is incompatible with long spin relaxation times, in disagreement with former findings. A comparative study of the ground state and magnetic anisotropy of Ho and Er on Pt(111) and Cu(111) emphasizes the different interaction of the 4f orbitals with localized and delocalized substrate states. In particular, we find a striking rotation of the magnetization easy axis for Er, which changes from out of plane on Pt(111) to in plane on Cu(111)

Interlayer exchange coupling in ordered Fe nanocluster arrays grown on Al2O3/Ni3Al(111)

We have combined magneto-optical Kerr effect, scanning tunneling microscopy, and x-ray magnetic circular dichroism to study the magnetic properties and the morphology of Fe nanoparticles grown on 2 ML thick Al2O3/Ni3Al(111)-(root 67 x root 67)R12.2 degrees with and without Pd seeding. The Ni3Al(111) substrate is ferromagnetic and shows two transition temperatures. The first, T-C1 = 81 +/- 3 K, is attributed to a 20-30 nm thick slightly Ni enriched region; the second, T-C2 = 240 +/- 12 K, is attributed to a much thinner and more strongly Ni enriched near interface region that contains Ni clusters embedded in the alloy matrix. The magnetic properties of the Fe cluster superlattice are strongly influenced by the superexchange coupling between Fe clusters and the underlying Ni clusters in that near interface region. Since the Ni clusters are at different distances from the oxide/metal interface, this coupling oscillates between ferro-and antiferromagnetic such that the overall magnetic moment is not increased by the Fe clusters. Pd seeding does not influence the magnetic properties of the system. The intrinsic Fe cluster properties, such as Curie temperature and easy magnetization axis, are accessed for T > T-C2. We find out-of-plane easy magnetization axes and T-C approximate to 300 K for cluster sizes above 440 atoms

Design considerations in a clinical trial of a cognitive behavioural intervention for the management of low back pain in primary care : Back Skills Training Trial

Background Low back pain (LBP) is a major public health problem. Risk factors for the development and persistence of LBP include physical and psychological factors. However, most research activity has focused on physical solutions including manipulation, exercise training and activity promotion. Methods/Design This randomised controlled trial will establish the clinical and cost-effectiveness of a group programme, based on cognitive behavioural principles, for the management of sub-acute and chronic LBP in primary care. Our primary outcomes are disease specific measures of pain and function. Secondary outcomes include back beliefs, generic health related quality of life and resource use. All outcomes are measured over 12 months. Participants randomised to the intervention arm are invited to attend up to six weekly sessions each of 90 minutes; each group has 6–8 participants. A parallel qualitative study will aid the evaluation of the intervention. Discussion In this paper we describe the rationale and design of a randomised evaluation of a group based cognitive behavioural intervention for low back pain

Tailoring the Magnetism of Co Atoms on Graphene through Substrate Hybridization

We determine the magnetic properties of individual Co atoms adsorbed on graphene (G) with x-ray absorption spectroscopy and magnetic circular dichroism. The magnetic ground state of Co adatoms strongly depends on the choice of the metal substrate on which graphene is grown. Cobalt atoms on G/Ru(0001) feature exceptionally large orbital and spin moments, as well as an out-of-plane easy axis with large magnetic anisotropy. Conversely, the magnetic moments are strongly reduced for Co/G/Ir(111), and the magnetization is of the easy-plane type. We demonstrate how the Co magnetic properties, which ultimately depend on the degree of hybridization between the Co 3d orbitals and graphene p bands, can be tailored through the strength of the graphene-substrate coupling

Magnetoelectroelastic control of magnetism in an artificial multiferroic

We study the coexistence of strain-and charge-mediated magnetoelectric coupling in a cobalt (0-7 nm) wedge on ferroelectric (011)-oriented [Pb(Mg-1/3/Nb-2/3)O-3](0.68)-[PbTiO3](0.32) using surface-sensitive x-ray magnetic circular dichroism spectroscopy at the Co L-3,L-2 edges. Three distinct electric field driven remanent magnetization states can be set in the Co film at room temperature. Ab initio density functional theory calculations unravel the relative contributions of both strain and charge to the observed magnetic anisotropy changes illustrating magnetoelectroelastic coupling at artificial multiferroic interfaces

Magnetic field dependent cycloidal rotation in pristine and Ge doped CoCr2O4

We report a soft x ray resonant magnetic scattering study of the spin configuration in multiferroic thin films of Co0.975Ge0.025Cr2O4 Ge CCO and CoCr2O4 CCO under low and high magnetic fields from 0.2 to 6.5 T. A characterization of Ge CCO at a low magnetic field was performed, and the results were compared with those of pure CCO. The ferrimagnetic phase transition temperature TC amp; 8776;95K and the multiferroic transition temperature TS amp; 8776;27K in Ge CCO are comparable with those observed in CCO. In Ge CCO, the ordering wave vector qq0 observed below TS is slightly larger compared with that of CCO, and unlike CCO, the diffraction intensity consists of two contributions that show a dissimilar x ray polarization dependence. In Ge CCO, the coercive field observed at low temperatures was larger than the one reported for CCO. In both compounds, an unexpected reversal of the spiral helicity, and therefore the electric polarization, was observed on simply magnetic field cooling. In addition, we find a change in the helicity as a function of momentum transfer in the magnetic diffraction peak of Ge CCO, indicative of the presence of multiple magnetic spiral