Thickness-dependent magnetic structure of ultrathin Fe/Ir(001) films: from spin-spiral states towards ferromagnetic order

We present a detailed study of the ground-state magnetic structure of ultrathin Fe films on the surface of fcc Ir(001). We use the spin-cluster expansion technique in combination with the relativistic disordered local moment scheme to obtain parameters of spin models and then determine the favored magnetic structure of the system by means of a mean field approach and atomistic spin dynamics simulations. For the case of a single monolayer of Fe we find that layer relaxations very strongly influence the ground-state spin configurations, whereas Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya (DM) interactions and biquadratic couplings also have remarkable effects. To characterize the latter effect we introduce and analyze spin collinearity maps of the system. While for two monolayers of Fe we find a single-q spin spiral as ground state due to DM interactions, for the case of four monolayers the system shows a noncollinear spin structure with nonzero net magnetization. These findings are consistent with experimental measurements indicating ferromagnetic order in films of four monolayers and thicker.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figure

Local predictability in a simple model of atmospheric balance

International audienceThe 2 degree-of-freedom elastic pendulum equations can be considered as the lowest order analogue of interacting low-frequency (slow) Rossby-Haurwitz and high-frequency (fast) gravity waves in the atmosphere. The strength of the coupling between the low and the high frequency waves is controlled by a single coupling parameter, e, defined by the ratio of the fast and slow characteristic time scales. In this paper, efficient, high accuracy, and symplectic structure preserving numerical solutions are designed for the elastic pendulum equation in order to study the role balanced dynamics play in local predictability. To quantify changes in the local predictability, two measures are considered: the local Lyapunov number and the leading singular value of the tangent linear map. It is shown, both based on theoretical considerations and numerical experiments, that there exist regions of the phase space where the local Lyapunov number indicates exceptionally high predictability, while the dominant singular value indicates exceptionally low predictability. It is also demonstrated that the local Lyapunov number has a tendency to choose instabilities associated with balanced motions, while the dominant singular value favors instabilities related to highly unbalanced motions. The implications of these findings for atmospheric dynamics are also discussed

Atomistic spin-model based on a new spin-cluster expansion technique: Application to the IrMn3/Co interface

In order to derive tensorial exchange interactions and local magnetic anisotropies in itinerant magnetic systems, an approach combining the Spin-Cluster Expansion with the Relativistic Disordered Local Moment scheme is introduced. The theoretical background and computational aspects of the method are described in detail. The exchange interactions and site resolved anisotropy contributions for the IrMn3/Co(111) interface, a prototype for an exchange bias system, are calculated including a large number of magnetic sites from both the antiferromagnet and ferromagnet. Our calculations reveal that the coupling between the two subsystems is fairly limited to the vicinity of the interface. The magnetic anisotropy of the interface system is discussed, including effects of the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interactions that appear due to symmetry breaking at the interface.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figure

Theory of anisotropic Rashba splitting of surface states

We investigate the surface Rashba effect for a surface of reduced in-plane symmetry. Formulating a k.p perturbation theory, we show that the Rashba splitting is anisotropic, in agreement with symmetry-based considerations. We show that the anisotropic Rashba splitting is due to the admixture of bulk states of different symmetry to the surface state, and it cannot be explained within the standard theoretical picture supposing just a normal-to-surface variation of the crystal potential. Performing relativistic ab initio calculations we find a remarkably large Rashba anisotropy for an unreconstructed Au(110) surface that is in the experimentally accessible range.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure

Chiral asymmetry of the spin-wave spectra in ultrathin magnetic films

We raise the possibility that the chiral degeneracy of the magnons in ultrathin films can be lifted due to the presence of Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interactions. By using simple symmetry arguments, we discuss under which conditions such a chiral asymmetry occurs. We then perform relativistic first principles calculations for an Fe monolayer on W(110) and explicitly reveal the asymmetry of the spin-wave spectrum in case of wave-vectors parallel to the (001) direction. Furthermore, we quantitatively interpret our results in terms of a simplified spin-model by using calculated Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya vectors. Our theoretical prediction should inspire experiments to explore the asymmetry of spin-waves, with a particular emphasis on the possibility to measure the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interactions in ultrathin films.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure

The effect of targeted dropsonde observations during the 1999 winter storm reconnaissance program

In this paper, the effects of targeted dropsonde observations on operational global numerical weather analyses and forecasts made at the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) are evaluated. The data were collected during the 1999 Winter Storm Reconnaissance field program at locations that were found optimal by the ensemble transform technique for reducing specific forecast errors over the continental United States and Alaska. Two parallel analysis-forecast cycles are compared; one assimilates all operationally available data including those from the targeted dropsondes, whereas the other is identical except that it excludes all dropsonde data collected during the program. It was found that large analysis errors appear in areas of intense baroclinic energy conversion over the northeast Pacific and are strongly associated with errors in the first-guess field. The "signal," defined by the difference between analysis-forecast cycles with and without the dropsonde data, propagates at an average speed of 30 degrees per day along the storm track to the east. Hovmoller diagrams and eddy statistics suggest that downstream development plays a significant role in spreading out the effect of the dropsondes in space and time. On average, the largest rms surface pressure errors are reduced by 10%-20% associated with the eastward-propagating leading edge of the signal. The dropsonde data seem to be more effective in reducing forecast errors when zonal how prevails over the eastern Pacific. Results from combined verification statistics (based on surface pressure, tropospheric winds, and precipitation amount) indicate that the dropsonde data improved the forecasts in 18 of the 25 targeted cases, while the impact was negative (neutral) in only 5 (2) cases

Strategies for coupling global and limited-area ensemble Kalman filter assimilation

This paper compares the forecast performance of four strategies for coupling global and limited area data assimilation: three strategies propagate information from the global to the limited area process, while the fourth strategy feeds back information from the limited area to the global process. All four strategies are formulated in the Local Ensemble Transform Kalman Filter (LETKF) framework. <br><br> Numerical experiments are carried out with the model component of the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) Global Forecast System (GFS) and the NCEP Regional Spectral Model (RSM). The limited area domain is an extended North-America region that includes part of the north-east Pacific. The GFS is integrated at horizontal resolution T62 (about 150 km in the mid-latitudes), while the RSM is integrated at horizontal resolution 48 km. Experiments are carried out both under the perfect model hypothesis and in a realistic setting. The coupling strategies are evaluated by comparing their deterministic forecast performance at 12-h and 48-h lead times. <br><br> The results suggest that the limited area data assimilation system has the potential to enhance the forecasts at 12-h lead time in the limited area domain at the synoptic and sub-synoptic scales (in the global wave number range of about 10 to 40). There is a clear indication that between the forecast performance of the different coupling strategies those that cycle the limited area assimilation process produce the most accurate forecasts. In the realistic setting, at 12-h forecast time the limited area systems produce more modest improvements compared to the global system than under the perfect model hypothesis, and at 48-h forecast time the global forecasts are more accurate than the limited area forecasts

The onset of magnetic order in fcc-Fe films on Cu(100)

On the basis of a first-principles electronic structure theory of finite temperature metallic magnetism in layered materials, we investigate the onset of magnetic order in thin (2-8 layers) fcc-Fe films on Cu(100) substrates. The nature of this ordering is altered when the systems are capped with copper. Indeed we find an oscillatory dependence of the Curie temperatures as a function of Cu-cap thickness, in excellent agreement with experimental data. The thermally induced spin-fluctuations are treated within a mean-field disordered local moment (DLM) picture and give rise to layer-dependent `local exchange splittings' in the electronic structure even in the paramagnetic phase. These features determine the magnetic intra- and interlayer interactions which are strongly influenced by the presence and extent of the Cu cap.Comment: 13 pages, 3 figure