70 research outputs found
Prediction of a surface state and a related surface insulator-metal transition for the (100) surface of stochiometric EuO
We calculate the temperature and layer-dependent electronic structure of a
20-layer EuO(100)-film using a combination of first-principles and model
calculation based on the ferromagnetic Kondo-lattice model. The results suggest
the existence of a EuO(100) surface state which can lead to a surface
insulator-metal transition.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures, Phys. Rev. Lett. (in press
Magnetoelastic mechanism of spin-reorientation transitions at step-edges
The symmetry-induced magnetic anisotropy due to monoatomic steps at strained
Ni films is determined using results of first - principles relativistic
full-potential linearized augmented plane wave (FLAPW) calculations and an
analogy with the N\'eel model. We show that there is a magnetoelastic
anisotropy contribution to the uniaxial magnetic anisotropy energy in the
vicinal plane of a stepped surface. In addition to the known spin-direction
reorientation transition at a flat Ni/Cu(001) surface, we propose a
spin-direction reorientation transition in the vicinal plane for a stepped
Ni/Cu surface due to the magnetoelastic anisotropy. We show that with an
increase of Ni film thickness, the magnetization in the vicinal plane turns
perpendicular to the step edge at a critical thickness calculated to be in the
range of 16-24 Ni layers for the Ni/Cu(1,1,13) stepped surface.Comment: Accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.
Ferromagnetism and Temperature-Driven Reorientation Transition in Thin Itinerant-Electron Films
The temperature-driven reorientation transition which, up to now, has been
studied by use of Heisenberg-type models only, is investigated within an
itinerant-electron model. We consider the Hubbard model for a thin fcc(100)
film together with the dipole interaction and a layer-dependent anisotropy
field. The isotropic part of the model is treated by use of a generalization of
the spectral-density approach to the film geometry. The magnetic properties of
the film are investigated as a function of temperature and film thickness and
are analyzed in detail with help of the spin- and layer-dependent quasiparticle
density of states. By calculating the temperature dependence of the
second-order anisotropy constants we find that both types of reorientation
transitions, from out-of-plane to in-plane (``Fe-type'') and from in-plane to
out-of-plane (``Ni-type'') magnetization are possible within our model. In the
latter case the inclusion of a positive volume anisotropy is vital. The
reorientation transition is mediated by a strong reduction of the surface
magnetization with respect to the inner layers as a function of temperature and
is found to depend significantly on the total band occupation.Comment: 10 pages, 8 figures included (eps), Phys Rev B in pres
Kondo-lattice model: Application to the temperature-dependent electronic structure of EuO(100) films
We present calculations for the temperature-dependent electronic structure
and magnetic properties of thin ferromagnetic EuO films. The treatment is based
on a combination of a multiband-Kondo lattice model with first-principles
TB-LMTO band structure calculations. The method avoids the problem of
double-counting of relevant interactions and takes into account the correct
symmetry of the atomic orbitals. We discuss the temperature-dependent
electronic structures of EuO(100) films in terms of quasiparticle densities of
states and quasiparticle band structures. The Curie temperature T_C of the EuO
films turns out to be strongly thickness-dependent, starting from a very low
value = 15K for the monolayer and reaching the bulk value at about 25 layers
Anomalous behavior of spin wave resonances in Ga_{1-x}Mn_{x}As thin films
We report ferromagnetic and spin wave resonance absorption measurements on
high quality epitaxially grown Ga_{1-x}Mn_{x}As thin films. We find that these
films exhibit robust ferromagnetic long-range order, based on the fact that up
to seven resonances are detected at low temperatures, and the resonance
structure survives to temperatures close to the ferromagnetic transition. On
the other hand, we observe a spin wave dispersion which is linear in mode
number, in qualitative contrast with the quadratic dispersion expected for
homogeneous samples. We perform a detailed numerical analysis of the
experimental data and provide analytical calculations to demonstrate that such
a linear dispersion is incompatible with uniform magnetic parameters. Our
theoretical analysis of the ferromagnetic resonance data, combined with the
knowledge that strain-induced anisotropy is definitely present in these films,
suggests that a spatially dependent magnetic anisotropy is the most likely
reason behind the anomalous behavior observed.Comment: 9 pages, including 6 figure
Schwinger boson theory of anisotropic ferromagnetic ultrathin films
Ferromagnetic thin films with magnetic single-ion anisotropies are studied
within the framework of Schwinger bosonization of a quantum Heisenberg model.
Two alternative bosonizations are discussed. We show that qualitatively correct
results are obtained even at the mean-field level of the theory, similar to
Schwinger boson results for other magnetic systems. In particular, the
Mermin-Wagner theorem is satisfied: a spontaneous magnetization at finite
temperatures is not found if the ground state of the anisotropic system
exhibits a continuous degeneracy. We calculate the magnetization and effective
anisotropies as functions of exchange interaction, magnetic anisotropies,
external magnetic field, and temperature for arbitrary values of the spin
quantum number. Magnetic reorientation transitions and effective anisotropies
are discussed. The results obtained by Schwinger boson mean-field theory are
compared with the many-body Green's function technique.Comment: 14 pages, including 7 EPS figures, minor changes, final version as
publishe
Towards engineering the perfect defect in high-performing permanent magnets
Permanent magnets draw their properties from a complex interplay, across
multiple length scales, of the composition and distribution of their
constituting phases, that act as building blocks, each with their associated
intrinsic properties. Gaining a fundamental understanding of these interactions
is hence key to decipher the origins of their magnetic performance and
facilitate the engineering of better-performing magnets, through unlocking the
design of the "perfect defects" for ultimate pinning of magnetic domains. Here,
we deployed advanced multiscale microscopy and microanalysis on a bulk
Sm2(CoFeCuZr)17 pinning-type high-performance magnet with outstanding thermal
and chemical stability. Making use of regions with different chemical
compositions, we showcase how both a change in the composition and distribution
of copper, along with the atomic arrangements enforce the pinning of magnetic
domains, as imaged by nanoscale magnetic induction mapping. Micromagnetic
simulations bridge the scales to provide an understanding of how these
peculiarities of micro- and nanostructure change the hard magnetic behaviour of
Sm2(CoFeCuZr)17 magnets. Unveiling the origins of the reduced coercivity allows
us to propose an atomic-scale defect and chemistry manipulation strategy to
define ways toward future hard magnets
Fast simulation of transient temperature distributions in power modules using multi-parameter model reduction
In this study, a three-dimensional model with multi-parameter order reduction is applied to the thermal modelling of power electronics modules with complex geometries. Finite element or finite difference method can be used to establish accurate mathematical models for thermal analyses. Unfortunately, the resulting computational complexity hinders the analysis in parametric studies. This study proposes a parametric order reduction technique that can significantly increase simulation efficiency without significant penalty in the prediction accuracy. The method, based on the block Arnoldi method, is illustrated with reference to a multi-chip SiC power module mounted on a forced air-cooled finned heat sink with a variable mass flow rate
Room-temperature spin-orbit torque in NiMnSb
Materials that crystallize in diamond-related lattices, with Si and GaAs as their prime examples, are at the foundation of modern electronics. Simultaneously, inversion asymmetries in their crystal structure and relativistic spin–orbit coupling led to discoveries of non-equilibrium spin-polarization phenomena that are now extensively explored as an electrical means for manipulating magnetic moments in a variety of spintronic structures. Current research of these relativistic spin–orbit torques focuses primarily on magnetic transition-metal multilayers. The low-temperature diluted magnetic semiconductor (Ga, Mn)As, in which spin–orbit torques were initially discovered, has so far remained the only example showing the phenomenon among bulk non-centrosymmetric ferromagnets. Here we present a general framework, based on the complete set of crystallographic point groups, for identifying the potential presence and symmetry of spin–orbit torques in non-centrosymmetric crystals. Among the candidate room-temperature ferromagnets we chose to use NiMnSb, which is a member of the broad family of magnetic Heusler compounds. By performing all-electrical ferromagnetic resonance measurements in single-crystal epilayers of NiMnSb we detect room-temperature spin–orbit torques generated by effective fields of the expected symmetry and of a magnitude consistent with our ab initio calculations.University of WürzburgThis is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Nature Publishing Group via http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nphys377
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