434 research outputs found
Rashba Effect at Magnetic Metal Surfaces
We give experimental and theoretical evidence of the Rashba effect at the
magnetic rare-earth metal surface Gd(0001). The Rashba effect is substantially
enhanced and the Rashba parameter changes its sign when a metal-oxide surface
layer is formed. The experimental observations are quantitatively described by
ab initio calculations that give a detailed account of the near-surface charge
density gradients causing the Rashba effect. Since the sign of the Rashba
splitting depends on the magnetization direction, the findings open up new
opportunities for the study of surface and interface magnetism.Comment: 4 Fig
Current-induced magnetization dynamics in disordered itinerant ferromagnets
Current-driven magnetization dynamics in ferromagnetic metals are studied in
a self-consistent adiabatic local-density approximation in the presence of
spin-conserving and spin-dephasing impurity scattering. Based on a quantum
kinetic equation, we derive Gilbert damping and spin-transfer torques entering
the Landau-Lifshitz equation to linear order in frequency and wave vector.
Gilbert damping and a current-driven dissipative torque scale identically and
compete, with the result that a steady current-driven domain-wall motion is
insensitive to spin dephasing in the limit of weak ferromagnetism. A uniform
magnetization is found to be much more stable against spin torques in the
itinerant than in the \textit{s}-\textit{d} model for ferromagnetism. A dynamic
spin-transfer torque reminiscent of the spin pumping in multilayers is
identified and shown to govern the current-induced domain-wall distortion
Scattering polarization of hydrogen lines in the presence of turbulent electric fields
We study the broadband polarization of hydrogen lines produced by scattering
of radiation, in the presence of isotropic electric fields. In this paper, we
focus on two distinct problems: a) the possibility of detecting the presence of
turbulent electric fields by polarimetric methods, and b) the influence of such
fields on the polarization due to a macroscopic, deterministic magnetic field.
We found that isotropic electric fields decrease the degree of linear
polarization in the scattered radiation, with respect to the zero-field case.
On the other hand, a distribution of isotropic electric fields superimposed
onto a deterministic magnetic field can generate a significant increase of the
degree of magnetic-induced, net circular polarization. This phenomenon has
important implications for the diagnostics of magnetic fields in plasmas using
hydrogen lines, because of the ubiquitous presence of the Holtsmark,
microscopic electric field from neighbouring ions. In particular, previous
solar magnetographic studies of the Balmer lines of hydrogen may need to be
revised because they neglected the effect of turbulent electric fields on the
polarization signals. In this work, we give explicit results for the
Lyman-alpha and Balmer-alpha lines.Comment: 15 pages, 6 figure
Structural Properties and Relative Stability of (Meta)Stable Ordered, Partially-ordered and Disordered Al-Li Alloy Phases
We resolve issues that have plagued reliable prediction of relative phase
stability for solid-solutions and compounds. Due to its commercially important
phase diagram, we showcase Al-Li system because historically density-functional
theory (DFT) results show large scatter and limited success in predicting the
structural properties and stability of solid-solutions relative to ordered
compounds. Using recent advances in an optimal basis-set representation of the
topology of electronic charge density (and, hence, atomic size), we present DFT
results that agree reasonably well with all known experimental data for the
structural properties and formation energies of ordered, off-stoichiometric
partially-ordered and disordered alloys, opening the way for reliable study in
complex alloys.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figures, 2 Table
Efficient nonlinear room-temperature spin injection from ferromagnets into semiconductors through a modified Schottky barrier
We suggest a consistent microscopic theory of spin injection from a
ferromagnet (FM) into a semiconductor (S). It describes tunneling and emission
of electrons through modified FM-S Schottky barrier with an ultrathin heavily
doped interfacial S layer . We calculate nonlinear spin-selective properties of
such a reverse-biased FM-S junction, its nonlinear I-V characteristic, current
saturation, and spin accumulation in S. We show that the spin polarization of
current, spin density, and penetration length increase with the total current
until saturation. We find conditions for most efficient spin injection, which
are opposite to the results of previous works, since the present theory
suggests using a lightly doped resistive semiconductor. It is shown that the
maximal spin polarizations of current and electrons (spin accumulation) can
approach 100% at room temperatures and low current density in a nondegenerate
high-resistance semiconductor.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figures; provides detailed comparison with earlier works
on spin injectio
Magnetic tight-binding and the iron-chromium enthalpy anomaly
We describe a self consistent magnetic tight-binding theory based in an
expansion of the Hohenberg-Kohn density functional to second order, about a non
spin polarised reference density. We show how a first order expansion about a
density having a trial input magnetic moment leads to the Stoner--Slater rigid
band model. We employ a simple set of tight-binding parameters that accurately
describes electronic structure and energetics, and show these to be
transferable between first row transition metals and their alloys. We make a
number of calculations of the electronic structure of dilute Cr impurities in
Fe which we compare with results using the local spin density approximation.
The rigid band model provides a powerful means for interpreting complex
magnetic configurations in alloys; using this approach we are able to advance a
simple and readily understood explanation for the observed anomaly in the
enthalpy of mixing.Comment: Submitted to Phys Rev
Boron in copper: a perfect misfit in the bulk and cohesion enhancer at a grain boundary
Our ab initio study suggests that boron segregation to the Sigma 5(310)[001]
grain boundary should strengthen the boundary up to 1.5 ML coverage (15.24
at/nm^2). The maximal effect is observed at 0.5 ML and corresponds to boron
atoms filling exclusively grain boundary interstices. In copper bulk, B causes
significant distortion both in interstitial and regular lattice sites for which
boron atoms are either too big or too small. The distortion is compensated to
large extent when the interstitial and substitutional boron combine together to
form a strongly bound dumbell. Our prediction is that bound boron impurities
should appear in sizable proportion if not dominate in most experimental
conditions. A large discrepancy between calculated heats of solution and
experimental terminal solubility of B in Cu is found, indicating either a sound
failure of the local density approximation or, more likely, strongly
overestimated solubility limits in the existing B-Cu phase diagram.Comment: 16 pages, 9 figure
Why is the bandwidth of sodium observed to be narrower in photoemission experiments?
The experimentally predicted narrowing in the bandwidth of sodium is
interpreted in terms of the non-local self-energy effect on quasi-particle
energies of the electron liquid. The calculated self-energy correction is a
monotonically increasing function of the wavenumber variable. The usual
analysis of photo-emission experiments assumes the final state energies on the
nearly-free-electron-like model and hence it incorrectly ascribes the non-local
self-energy correction to the final state energies to the occupied state
energies, thus leading to a seeming narrowing in the bandwidth.Comment: 9 page
Crystallographic structure of ultrathin Fe films on Cu(100)
We report bcc-like crystal structures in 2-4 ML Fe films grown on fcc Cu(100)
using scanning tunneling microscopy. The local bcc structure provides a
straightforward explanation for their frequently reported outstanding magnetic
properties, i.e., ferromagnetic ordering in all layers with a Curie temperature
above 300 K. The non-pseudomorphic structure, which becomes pseudomorphic above
4 ML film thickness is unexpected in terms of conventional rules of thin film
growth and stresses the importance of finite thickness effects in ferromagnetic
ultrathin films.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, RevTeX/LaTeX2.0
Enhanced absorption Hanle effect on the Fg=F->Fe=F+1 closed transitions
We analyse the Hanle effect on a closed transition. Two
configurations are examined, for linear- and circular-polarized laser
radiation, with the applied magnetic field collinear to the laser light
wavevector. We describe the peculiarities of the Hanle signal for
linearly-polarized laser excitation, characterized by narrow bright resonances
at low laser intensities. The mechanism behind this effect is identified, and
numerical solutions for the optical Bloch equations are presented for different
transitions.Comment: to be published in J. Opt. B, special issue on Quantum Coherence and
Entanglement (February 2001
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