Spin-transfer switching and low-field precession in exchange-biased spin valve nano-pillars

Using a three-dimensional focused-ion beam lithography process we have fabricated nanopillar devices which show spin transfer torque switching at zero external magnetic fields. Under a small in-plane external bias field, a field-dependent peak in the differential resistance versus current is observed similar to that reported in asymmetrical nanopillar devices. This is interpreted as evidence for the low-field excitation of spin waves which in our case is attributed to a spin-scattering asymmetry enhanced by the IrMn exchange bias layer coupled to a relatively thin CoFe fixed layer.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figures. To appear in APL, April 200

Spin-orbit coupled j=1/2 iridium moments on the geometrically frustrated fcc lattice

Motivated by experiments on the double perovskites La2ZnIrO6 and La2MgIrO6, we study the magnetism of spin-orbit coupled j=1/2 iridium moments on the three-dimensional, geometrically frustrated, face-centered cubic lattice. The symmetry-allowed nearest-neighbor interaction includes Heisenberg, Kitaev, and symmetric off-diagonal exchange. A Luttinger-Tisza analysis shows a rich variety of orders, including collinear A-type antiferromagnetism, stripe order with moments along the [111]-direction, and incommensurate non-coplanar spirals, and we use Monte Carlo simulations to determine their magnetic ordering temperatures. We argue that existing thermodynamic data on these iridates underscores the presence of a dominant Kitaev exchange, and also suggest a resolution to the puzzle of why La2ZnIrO6 exhibits `weak' ferromagnetism, but La2MgIrO6 does not.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figs, significantly revised to address referee comments, to appear in PRB Rapid Com

Spatial characteristics of the midnight temperature maximum and equatorial spread F from multi-instrument and magnetically conjugate observations

The upper atmosphere, a region above ~85 km called the ionosphere and thermosphere, has been studied extensively for over one hundred years. Measurements were often considered in isolation, but today, advances in technology and ground-based distributed arrays have allowed concurrent multi-instruments measurements. In this dissertation, I combine measurements from all-sky imagers (ASIs), coherent scatter radars, incoherent scatter radars (ISRs), and Fabry-Perot interferometers (FPIs). I focus on two phenomena, the midnight temperature maximum (MTM) and equatorial spread F (ESF), using observations from equatorial to mid-latitudes. The spatial characteristics of these phenomena are not fully understood. I combine observations at various latitudes and longitudes to extend MTM detection to mid-latitudes. I present the first simultaneous detections of the MTM at multiple altitudes and latitudes over North America and the first observations below the F-region peak using the Millstone Hill Observatory ISR in a south pointing, low-elevation mode. The MTM can also be observed with an ASI and I present concurrent measurements of the MTM with an ASI and ISR. The Whole Atmosphere Model, a global circulation model, was found to be consistent with these observations. This further verifies that the MTM is partially created by lower atmospheric tides, demonstrating coupling between the lower and upper atmosphere. In addition to the MTM, I investigate different aspects of ESF using ASIs concurrently with other instruments. I compare various scale sizes (sub-meter to kilometers) using coherent scatter radar and an ASI and conclude that the lower hybrid drift instability causes radar echoes to occur preferentially on the western wall of large-scale depletions. The source of day-to-day variability in ESF is not fully known but I show that one driver may be large-scale wave structures (~400 km) that modulate the development of ESF. Finally, I compare concurrent observations of ESF plasma depletions with ASIs at magnetically-conjugate foot points and show how the magnitude and structure of the Earth’s magnetic field is responsible for differences in the morphology and velocity of these depletions. In summary, I have used multi-instrument observations of ESF and the MTM to provide a deeper understanding of the dynamics of the upper atmosphere

In the Starlight : March

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