1 research outputs found
Electronic inhomogeneity at magnetic domain walls in strongly-correlated systems
We show that nano-scale variations of the order parameter in
strongly-correlated systems can induce local spatial regions such as domain
walls that exhibit electronic properties representative of a different, but
nearby, part of the phase diagram. This is done by means of a Landau-Ginzburg
analysis of a metallic ferromagnetic system near an antiferromagnetic phase
boundary. The strong spin gradients at a wall between domains of different spin
orientation drive the formation of a new type of domain wall, where the central
core is an insulating antiferromagnet, and connects two metallic ferromagnetic
domains. We calculate the charge transport properties of this wall, and find
that its resistance is large enough to account for recent experimental results
in colossal magnetoresistance materials. The technological implications of this
finding for switchable magnetic media are discussed.Comment: Version submitted to Physical Review Letters, except for minor
revisions to reference