Scaling Approach to the Phase Diagram of Quantum Hall Systems

We present a simple classification of the different liquid and solid phases of quantum Hall systems in the limit where the Coulomb interaction between the electrons is significant, i.e. away from integral filling factors. This classification, and a criterion for the validity of the mean-field approximation in the charge-density-wave phase, is based on scaling arguments concerning the effective interaction potential of electrons restricted to an arbitrary Landau level. Finite-temperature effects are investigated within the same formalism, and a good agreement with recent experiments is obtained.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures; to be published in Europhys. Lett.; new version contains more detailed description of finite-temperature effect

Bias dependence of perpendicular spin torque and of free and fixed layer eigenmodes in MgO-based nanopillars

We have measured the bias voltage and field dependence of eigenmode frequencies in a magnetic tunnel junction with MgO barrier. We show that both free layer (FL) and reference layer (RL) modes are excited, and that a cross-over between these modes is observed by varying external field and bias voltage. The bias voltage dependence of the FL and RL modes are shown to be dramatically different. The bias dependence of the FL modes is linear in bias voltage, whereas that of the RL mode is strongly quadratic. Using modeling and micromagnetic simulations, we show that the linear bias dependence of FL frequencies is primarily due to a linear dependence of the perpendicular spin torque on bias voltage, whereas the quadratic dependence of the RL on bias voltage is dominated by the reduction of exchange bias due to Joule heating, and is not attributable to a quadratic dependence of the perpendicular spin torque on bias voltage

Temperature dependence of linewidth in nano-contact based spin torque oscillators: effect of multiple oscillatory modes

We discuss the effect of mode transitions on the current (I) and temperature (T) dependent linewidth (\Delta f) in nanocontact based spin torque oscillators (STOs). At constant I, \Delta f exhibits an anomalous temperature dependence near the mode transitions; \Delta f may either increase or decrease with T depending on the position w.r.t. the mode transition. We show that the behavior of \Delta f as a function of I can be fitted by the single mode analytical theory of STOs, even though there are two modes present near the mode transition, if the nonlinear amplification is determined directly from the experiment. Using a recently developed theory of two coupled modes, we show that the linewidth near mode transition can be described by an "effective" single-oscillator theory with an enhanced nonlinear amplification that carries additional temperature dependence, which thus qualitatively explain the experimental results.Comment: 8 page

Lorentz shear modulus of fractional quantum Hall states

We show that the Lorentz shear modulus of macroscopically homogeneous electronic states in the lowest Landau level is proportional to the bulk modulus of an equivalent system of interacting classical particles in the thermodynamic limit. Making use of this correspondence we calculate the Lorentz shear modulus of Laughlin's fractional quantum Hall states at filling factor $\nu=1/m$ ($m$ an odd integer) and find that it is equal to $\pm \hbar mn/4$, where $n$ is the density of particles and the sign depends on the direction of magnetic field. This is in agreement with the recent result obtained by Read in arXiv:0805.2507 and corrects our previous result published in Phys. Rev. B {\bf 76}, 161305 (R) (2007).Comment: 8 pages, 3 figure

Universal Equilibrium Currents in the Quantum Hall Fluid

The equilibrium current distribution in a quantum Hall fluid that is subjected to a slowly varying confining potential is shown to generally consist of strips or channels of current, which alternate in direction, and which have universal integrated strengths. A measurement of these currents would yield direct independent measurements of the proper quasiparticle and quasihole energies in the fractional quantum Hall states.Comment: 4 pages, Revte

Atomic and Electronic Structure of CoFeB/MgO Interface from First Principles

First-principles calculations of the atomic and electronic structure of crystalline CoFeB/MgO/CoFeB magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) are performed to understand the effect of B on spin-dependent transport in these junctions. The authors find that it is energetically favorable for B atoms to reside at the crystalline CoFeB/MgO interface rather than remain in the bulk of the crystalline CoFeB electrode. The presence of B at the interfaces is detrimental to tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) because it significantly suppresses the majority-channel conductance through states of symmetry. Preventing B segregation to the interfaces during annealing should result in an enhanced TMR in CoFeB/MgO/CoFeB MTJs

Density functional theory of the phase diagram of maximum density droplets in two-dimensional quantum dots in a magnetic field

We present a density-functional theory (DFT) approach to the study of the phase diagram of the maximum density droplet (MDD) in two-dimensional quantum dots in a magnetic field. Within the lowest Landau level (LLL) approximation, analytical expressions are derived for the values of the parameters $N$ (number of electrons) and $B$ (magnetic field) at which the transition from the MDD to a ``reconstructed'' phase takes place. The results are then compared with those of full Kohn-Sham calculations, giving thus information about both correlation and Landau level mixing effects. Our results are also contrasted with those of Hartree-Fock (HF) calculations, showing that DFT predicts a more compact reconstructed edge, which is closer to the result of exact diagonalizations in the LLL.Comment: ReVTeX 3.

Highest weight Macdonald and Jack Polynomials

Fractional quantum Hall states of particles in the lowest Landau levels are described by multivariate polynomials. The incompressible liquid states when described on a sphere are fully invariant under the rotation group. Excited quasiparticle/quasihole states are member of multiplets under the rotation group and generically there is a nontrivial highest weight member of the multiplet from which all states can be constructed. Some of the trial states proposed in the literature belong to classical families of symmetric polynomials. In this paper we study Macdonald and Jack polynomials that are highest weight states. For Macdonald polynomials it is a (q,t)-deformation of the raising angular momentum operator that defines the highest weight condition. By specialization of the parameters we obtain a classification of the highest weight Jack polynomials. Our results are valid in the case of staircase and rectangular partition indexing the polynomials.Comment: 17 pages, published versio

The Atomic Slide Puzzle: Self-Diffusion of an Impure Atom

In a series of recent papers van Gastel et al have presented first experimental evidence that impure, Indium atoms, embedded into the first layer of a Cu(001) surface, are not localized within the close-packed surface layers but make concerted, long excursions visualized in a series of STM images. Such excursions occur due to continuous reshuffling of the surface following the position exchanges of both impure and host atoms with the naturally occuring surface vacancies. Van Gastel et al have also formulated an original lattice-gas type model with asymmetric exchange probabilities, whose numerical solution is in a good agreement with the experimental data. In this paper we propose an exact lattice solution of several versions of this model.Comment: Latex, 4 pages, 2 figures, to appear in Phys. Rev. E (RC