30 research outputs found
Memory and rejuvenation in a spin glass
The temperature dependence of the magnetisation of a Cu(Mn) spin glass (
57 K) has been investigated using weak probing magnetic fields ( =
0.5 or 0 Oe) and specific thermal protocols. The behaviour of the zero-field
cooled, thermoremanent and isothermal remanent magnetisation on (re-)cooling
the system from a temperature (40 K) where the system has been aged is
investigated. It is observed that the measured magnetisation is formed by two
parts: (i) a temperature- and observation time-dependent thermally activated
relaxational part governed by the age- and temperature-dependent response
function and the (latest) field change made at a lower temperature, superposed
on (ii) a weakly temperature-dependent frozen-in part. Interestingly we observe
that the spin configuration that is imprinted during an elongated halt in the
cooling, if it is accompanied by a field induced magnetisation, also includes a
unidirectional excess magnetisation that is recovered on returning to the
ageing temperature.Comment: EPL style; 7 pages, 5 figure
High-sensitivity tool for studying phonon related mechanical losses in low loss materials
Fundamental mechanical loss mechanisms exist even in very pure materials, for
instance, due to the interactions of excited acoustic waves with thermal
phonons. A reduction of these losses in a certain frequency range is desired in
high precision instruments like gravitational wave detectors. Systematic
analyses of the mechanical losses in those low loss materials are essential for
this aim, performed in a highly sensitive experimental set-up. Our novel method
of mechanical spectroscopy, cryogenic resonant acoustic spectroscopy of bulk
materials (CRA spectroscopy), is well suited to systematically determine losses
at the resonant frequencies of the samples of less than 10^(-9) in the wide
temperature range from 5 to 300 K. A high precision set-up in a specially built
cryostat allows contactless excitation and readout of the oscillations of the
sample. The experimental set-up and measuring procedure are described.
Limitations to our experiment due to external loss mechanisms are analysed. The
influence of the suspension system as well as the sample preparation is
explained.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, proceedings of PHONONS07, submitted to Journal of
Physics: Conference Serie
Investigation of the magnetic phase transition and magnetocaloric properties of the MnFeSbO ilmenite
The magnetic phase transition and magnetocaloric properties of mineral and
synthetic melanostibite MnFeSbO with ilmenite-type structure have been
studied. MnFeSbO orders ferrimagnetically below 270 K and is found to
undergo a second-order magnetic phase transition. The associated magnetic
entropy change amounts to 1.7 J/kgK for the mineral and 1.8 J/kgK synthetic
melanostibite for 5 T field change. For the synthetic MnFeSbO the
adiabatic temperature change was estimated from magnetic- and specific heat
measurements and amounts to 0.2 K in 1 T field change. Perspectives of the
promising functional properties of MnFeSbO-based materials are
discussed.Comment: 6 pages, 7 figure
Nonlinear magnetization dynamics driven by strong terahertz fields
We present a comprehensive experimental and numerical study of magnetization dynamics in a thin metallic film triggered by single-cycle terahertz pulses of ∼20  MV/m electric field amplitude and ∼1  ps duration. The experimental dynamics is probed using the femtosecond magneto-optical Kerr effect, and it is reproduced numerically using macrospin simulations. The magnetization dynamics can be decomposed in three distinct processes: a coherent precession of the magnetization around the terahertz magnetic field, an ultrafast demagnetization that suddenly changes the anisotropy of the film, and a uniform precession around the equilibrium effective field that is relaxed on the nanosecond time scale, consistent with a Gilbert damping process. Macrospin simulations quantitatively reproduce the observed dynamics, and allow us to predict that novel nonlinear magnetization dynamics regimes can be attained with existing tabletop terahertz sources
Mechanical losses in low loss materials studied by Cryogenic Resonant Acoustic spectroscopy of bulk materials (CRA spectroscopy)
Mechanical losses of crystalline silicon and calcium fluoride have been
analyzed in the temperature range from 5 to 300 K by our novel mechanical
spectroscopy method, cryogenic resonant acoustic spectroscopy of bulk materials
(CRA spectrocopy). The focus lies on the interpretation of the measured data
according to phonon-phonon interactions and defect induced losses in
consideration of the excited mode shape.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, proceedings of the PHONONS 2007, submitted to
Journal of Physics: Conference Serie
Isothermal remanent magnetization and the spin dimensionality of spin glasses
The isothermal remanent magnetization is used to investigate dynamical
magnetic properties of spatially three dimensional spin glasses with different
spin dimensionality (Ising, XY, Heisenberg). The isothermal remanent
magnetization is recorded vs. temperature after intermittent application of a
weak magnetic field at a constant temperature . We observe that in the
case of the Heisenberg spin glasses, the equilibrated spin structure and the
direction of the excess moment are recovered at . The isothermal remanent
magnetization thus reflects the directional character of the
Dzyaloshinsky-Moriya interaction present in Heisenberg systems.Comment: tPHL2e style; 7 page, 3 figure
Aging experiments in a superspin glass system of Co particles in Mn matrix
Dynamic magnetic properties of diluted systems of 4.7% and 9.8% volume fraction Co nanoparticles embedded in a Mn matrix are reported. The Co nanoparticles with an average size of 1.8 nm were prepared using a gas aggregation cluster source and a molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) source. The system displays irreversibility and signs of nonequilibrium dynamics at low temperatures which were studied in comparison to two model spin glass (SG) systems. The dynamic magnetic properties are investigated by means of zero-field-cooled (ZFC) magnetic memory effect measurements. \ua9 2010 IOP Publishing Ltd
The effect of high vs. low intensity neuropsychological treatment on working memory in patients with acquired brain injury
Aim: To evaluate the combined effect of compensation therapy and functional training on working memory (WM) in patients with acquired injury and chronic cognitive deficits by investigating the dose-response relationship and specificity of transfer effects. Research design: Double-blind randomized controlled trial. Methods: All patients underwent 4 weeks of compensation therapy in a day-care setting. In addition, they received either 20 sessions of computer-based WM training (n = 11) or attention training (n = 9). Transfer effects on cognition and their functional relevance in daily life were assessed before treatment, after 2 weeks (10 additional training sessions), and after 4 weeks (20 additional training sessions) of therapy. Results: The combined treatment led to significant improvements in WM performance, verbal memory, and self-reported changes in daily life. The amount of training was identified to modulate efficacy: Significant improvements showed only in the later training phase. We observed no differences between the two training schemes (WM vs. attentional training). Conclusions: Even in the chronic phase after brain lesion WM performance can be enhanced by the combination of compensation therapy and computerized cognitive training when applied intensely; both a more general attention and a specific WM training regimen are effective