4,751 research outputs found
Raman transitions between hyperfine clock states in a magnetic trap
We present our experimental investigation of an optical Raman transition
between the magnetic clock states of Rb in an atom chip magnetic trap.
The transfer of atomic population is induced by a pair of diode lasers which
couple the two clock states off-resonantly to an intermediate state manifold.
This transition is subject to destructive interference of two excitation paths,
which leads to a reduction of the effective two-photon Rabi-frequency.
Furthermore, we find that the transition frequency is highly sensitive to the
intensity ratio of the diode lasers. Our results are well described in terms of
light shifts in the multi-level structure of Rb. The differential light
shifts vanish at an optimal intensity ratio, which we observe as a narrowing of
the transition linewidth. We also observe the temporal dynamics of the
population transfer and find good agreement with a model based on the system's
master equation and a Gaussian laser beam profile. Finally, we identify several
sources of decoherence in our system, and discuss possible improvements.Comment: 10 pages, 7 figure
Domain structure of epitaxial Co films with perpendicular anisotropy
Epitaxial hcp Cobalt films with pronounced c-axis texture have been prepared
by pulsed lased deposition (PLD) either directly onto Al2O3 (0001) single
crystal substrates or with an intermediate Ruthenium buffer layer. The crystal
structure and epitaxial growth relation was studied by XRD, pole figure
measurements and reciprocal space mapping. Detailed VSM analysis shows that the
perpendicular anisotropy of these highly textured Co films reaches the
magnetocrystalline anisotropy of hcp-Co single crystal material. Films were
prepared with thickness t of 20 nm < t < 100 nm to study the crossover from
in-plane magnetization to out-of-plane magnetization in detail. The analysis of
the periodic domain pattern observed by magnetic force microscopy allows to
determine the critical minimum thickness below which the domains adopt a pure
in-plane orientation. Above the critical thickness the width of the stripe
domains is evaluated as a function of the film thickness and compared with
domain theory. Especially the discrepancies at smallest film thicknesses show
that the system is in an intermediate state between in-plane and out-of-plane
domains, which is not described by existing analytical domain models
X-ray photoelectron emission microscopy in combination with x-ray magnetic circular dichroism investigation of size effects on field-induced N\'eel-cap reversal
X-ray photoelectron emission microscopy in combination with x-ray magnetic
circular dichroism is used to investigate the influence of an applied magnetic
field on N\'eel caps (i.e., surface terminations of asymmetric Bloch walls).
Self-assembled micron-sized Fe(110) dots displaying a moderate distribution of
size and aspect ratios serve as model objects. Investigations of remanent
states after application of an applied field along the direction of N\'eel-cap
magnetization give clear evidence for the magnetization reversal of the N\'eel
caps around 120 mT, with a 20 mT dispersion. No clear correlation could be
found between the value of the reversal field and geometrical features of the
dots
Atomic oxygen studies on polymers
The purpose was to study the effects of atomic oxygen on the erosion of polymer based materials. The development of an atomic oxygen neutral beam facility using a SURFATRON surface wave launcher that can produce beam energies between 2 and 3 eV at flux levels as high as approx. 10 to the 17th power atoms/cm (2)-sec is described. Thin film dielectric materials were studied to determine recession rates and and reaction efficiencies as a function of incident beam energy and fluence. Accelerated testing was also accomplished and the values of reaction efficiency compared to available space flight data. Electron microscope photomicrographs of the samples' surface morphology were compared to flight test specimens
Rotating vortex dipoles in ferromagnets
Vortex-antivortex pairs are localized excitations and have been found to be
spontaneously created in magnetic elements. In the case that the vortex and the
antivortex have opposite polarities the pair has a nonzero topological charge,
and it behaves as a rotating vortex dipole. We find theoretically, and confirm
numerically, the form of the energy as a function of the angular momentum of
the system and the associated rotation frequencies. We discuss the process of
annihilation of the pair which changes the topological charge of the system by
unity while its energy is monotonically decreasing. Such a change in the
topological charge affects profoundly the dynamics in the magnetic system. We
finally discuss the connection of our results with Bloch Points (BP) and the
implications for BP dynamics.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figure
Field Tuning of Ferromagnetic Domain Walls on Elastically Coupled Ferroelectric Domain Boundaries
We report on the evolution of ferromagnetic domain walls during magnetization
reversal in elastically coupled ferromagnetic-ferroelectric heterostructures.
Using optical polarization microscopy and micromagnetic simulations, we
demonstrate that the spin rotation and width of ferromagnetic domain walls can
be accurately controlled by the strength of the applied magnetic field if the
ferromagnetic walls are pinned onto 90 degrees ferroelectric domain boundaries.
Moreover, reversible switching between magnetically charged and uncharged
domain walls is initiated by magnetic field rotation. Switching between both
wall types reverses the wall chirality and abruptly changes the width of the
ferromagnetic domain walls by up to 1000%.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure
Correlation between magnetic interactions and domain structure in A1 FePt ferromagnetic thin films
We have investigated the relationship between the domain structure and the
magnetic interactions in a series of FePt ferromagnetic thin films of varying
thickness. As-made films grow in the magnetically soft and chemically
disordered A1 phase that may have two distinct domain structures. Above a
critical thickness nm the presence of an out of plane
anisotropy induces the formation of stripes, while for planar
domains occur.
Magnetic interactions have been characterized using the well known DCD-IRM
remanence protocols, plots, and magnetic viscosity measurements. We
have observed a strong correlation between the domain configuration and the
sign of the magnetic interactions. Planar domains are associated with positive
exchange-like interactions, while stripe domains have a strong negative
dipolar-like contribution. In this last case we have found a close correlation
between the interaction parameter and the surface dipolar energy of the stripe
domain structure. Using time dependent magnetic viscosity measurements, we have
also estimated an average activation volume for magnetic reversal, nm which is approximately
independent of the film thickness or the stripe period.Comment: 25 pages, 11 figure
Angular-dependence of magnetization switching for a multi-domain dot: experiment and simulation
We have measured the in-plane angular variation of nucleation and
annihilation fields of a multi-domain magnetic single dot with a microsquid.
The dots are Fe/Mo(110) self-assembled in UHV, with sub-micron size and a
hexagonal shape. The angular variations were quantitatively reproduced by
micromagnetic simulations. Discontinuities in the variations are observed, and
shown to result from bifurcations related to the interplay of the non-uniform
magnetization state with the shape of the dot.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, for submission as a regular articl
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