Dzyaloshinskii--Moriya interaction: How to measure its sign in weak ferromagnetics?

Three experimental techniques sensitive to the sign of the Dzyaloshinskii--Moriya interaction are discussed: neutron diffraction, Moessbauer gamma-ray diffraction, and resonant x-ray scattering. Classical examples of hematite (alpha-Fe2O3) and MnCO3 crystals are considered in detailComment: 5 pages, 1 figure; to be published in JETP Letter

High-order Dy multipole motifs observed in DyB2C2 with resonant soft x-ray Bragg diffraction

Resonant soft x-ray Bragg diffraction at the Dy M4,5 edges has been exploited to study Dy multipole motifs in DyB2C2. Our results are explained introducing the intra-atomic quadrupolar interaction between the core 3d and valence 4f shell. This allows us to determine for the first time higher order multipole moments of dysprosium $4f$ electrons and to draw their precise charge density. The Dy hexadecapole and hexacontatetrapole moment have been estimated at -20% and +30% of the quadrupolar moment, respectively. No evidence for the lock-in of the orbitals at T_N has been observed, in contrast to earlier suggestions. The multipolar interaction and the structural transition cooperate along c but they compete in the basal plane explaining the canted structure along [110].Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

Understanding the O4,5 edge structure of actinide metals

Using electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) and many-electron atomic spectral calculations, we examine the O{sub 4,5} (5d {yields} 5f) edge structure of the ground-state {alpha} phase of Th, U, Np, Pu, Am, and Cm metal. Results show that the dipole-allowed transitions are contained within the giant resonance and that the small pre-peak in the actinide 5d {yields} 5f transition should not be labeled the O{sub 5} peak, but rather the {Delta}S=1 peak. Lastly, we present for the first time the O{sub 4,5} EELS spectra for Np, Am, and Cm metal

Oxidation and aging in U and Pu probed by spin-orbit sum rule analysis: indications for covalent metal-oxide bonds

Actinide physics and chemistry are of great interest due to the unique behavior of the 5f states that dominate the electronic structure. How these states evolve with changes in crystal structure, alloying, oxidation state, and radiation damage is of considerable importance to better understand these materials. Oxidations state: How are the f electrons bonding in actinide oxides? Radiation damage: U and Pu evolve with time due to self-induced radiation damage of the lattice. How does this affect the f states? Our goal here is to examine how oxidation and radiation damage influence the bonding behavior of the 5f electrons in U and Pu

Absence of spin-mixed states in ferrimagnet Yttrium iron garnet

The spectroscopic g-factor of epitaxial thin film Yttrium Iron Garnet (YIG) has been studied using a combination of ferromagnetic resonance spectroscopy and x-ray magnetic circular dichroism. The values obtained by the two techniques are found, within experimental error, to be in agreement using Kittel's original derivation for the g-factor. For an insulating material with an entirely Fe3+ configuration, a spin mixing correction to Kittel's derivation of the spectroscopic g-factor, as recently shown by Shaw et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 127, 207201 (2021)] for metallic systems, is not required and demonstrates that the spin mixing parameter is small in YIG due to negligible spin-orbit coupling

Emergence of Strong Exchange Interaction in the Actinide Series: The Driving Force for Magnetic Stabilization of Curium

Using electron energy-loss spectroscopy in a transmission electron microscope, many-electron atomic spectral calculations and density functional theory, we examine the electronic and magnetic structure of Cm metal. We show that angular momentum coupling in the 5f states plays a decisive role in the formation of the magnetic moment. The 5f states of Cm in intermediate coupling are strongly shifted towards the LS coupling limit due to exchange interaction, unlike most actinide elements where the effective spin-orbit interaction prevails. It is this LS-inclined intermediate coupling that is the key to producing the large spin polarization which in turn dictates the newly found crystal structure of Cm under pressure

Observation of magnetic circular dichroism in Fe L_{2,3} x-ray-fluorescence spectra

We report experiments demonstrating circular dichroism in the x-ray-fluorescence spectra of magnetic systems, as predicted by a recent theory. The data, on the L_{2,3} edges of ferromagnetic iron, are compared with fully relativistic local spin density functional calculations, and the relationship between the dichroic spectra and the spin-resolved local density of occupied states is discussed

Magnetic state of plutonium ion in metallic Pu and its compounds

By LDA+U method with spin-orbit coupling (LDA+U+SO) the magnetic state and electronic structure have been investigated for plutonium in \delta and \alpha phases and for Pu compounds: PuN, PuCoGa5, PuRh2, PuSi2, PuTe, and PuSb. For metallic plutonium in both phases in agreement with experiment a nonmagnetic ground state was found with Pu ions in f^6 configuration with zero values of spin, orbital, and total moments. This result is determined by a strong spin-orbit coupling in 5f shell that gives in LDA calculation a pronounced splitting of 5f states on f^{5/2} and f^{7/2} subbands. A Fermi level is in a pseudogap between them, so that f^{5/2} subshell is already nearly completely filled with six electrons before Coulomb correlation effects were taken into account. The competition between spin-orbit coupling and exchange (Hund) interaction (favoring magnetic ground state) in 5f shell is so delicately balanced, that a small increase (less than 15%) of exchange interaction parameter value from J_H=0.48eV obtained in constrain LDA calculation would result in a magnetic ground state with nonzero spin and orbital moment values. For Pu compounds investigated in the present work, predominantly f^6 configuration with nonzero magnetic moments was found in PuCoGa5, PuSi2, and PuTe, while PuN, PuRh2, and PuSb have f^5 configuration with sizeable magnetic moment values. Whereas pure jj coupling scheme was found to be valid for metallic plutonium, intermediate coupling scheme is needed to describe 5f shell in Pu compounds. The results of our calculations show that both spin-orbit coupling and exchange interaction terms in the Hamiltonian must be treated in a general matrix form for Pu and its compounds.Comment: 20 pages, LaTeX; changed discussion on reference pape

Measurement of mechanical vibrations excited in aluminium resonators by 0.6 GeV electrons

We present measurements of mechanical vibrations induced by 0.6 GeV electrons impinging on cylindrical and spherical aluminium resonators. To monitor the amplitude of the resonator's vibrational modes we used piezoelectric ceramic sensors, calibrated by standard accelerometers. Calculations using the thermo-acoustic conversion model, agree well with the experimental data, as demonstrated by the specific variation of the excitation strengths with the absorbed energy, and with the traversing particles' track positions. For the first longitudinal mode of the cylindrical resonator we measured a conversion factor of 7.4 +- 1.4 nm/J, confirming the model value of 10 nm/J. Also, for the spherical resonator, we found the model values for the L=2 and L=1 mode amplitudes to be consistent with our measurement. We thus have confirmed the applicability of the model, and we note that calculations based on the model have shown that next generation resonant mass gravitational wave detectors can only be expected to reach their intended ultra high sensitivity if they will be shielded by an appreciable amount of rock, where a veto detector can reduce the background of remaining impinging cosmic rays effectively.Comment: Tex-Article with epsfile, 34 pages including 13 figures and 5 tables. To be published in Rev. Scient. Instr., May 200

Prediction of huge X-ray Faraday rotation at the Gd N_4,5 threshold

X-ray absorption spectra in a wide energy range around the 4d-4f excitation threshold of Gd were recorded by total electron yield from in-plane magnetized Gd metal films. Matching the experimental spectra to tabulated absorption data reveals unprecedented short light absorption lengths down to 3 nm. The associated real parts of the refractive index for circularly polarized light propagating parallel or antiparallel to the Gd magnetization, determined through the Kramers-Kronig transformation, correspond to a magneto-optical Faraday rotation of 0.7 degrees per atomic layer. This finding shall allow the study of magnetic structure and magnetization dynamics of lanthanide elements in nanosize systems and dilute alloys.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, final version resubmitted to Phys. Rev. B, Brief Reports. Minor change