2,338 research outputs found
Intrinsic spin orbit torque in a single domain nanomagnet
We present theoretical studies of the intrinsic spin orbit torque (SOT) in a
single domain ferromagnetic layer with Rashba spin-orbit coupling (SOC) using
the non-equilibrium Green's function formalism for a model Hamiltonian. We find
that, to the first order in SOC, the intrinsic SOT has only the field-like
torque symmetry and can be interpreted as the longitudinal spin current induced
by the charge current and Rashba field. We analyze the results in terms of the
material related parameters of the electronic structure, such as band filling,
band width, exchange splitting, as well as the Rashba SOC strength. On the
basis of these numerical and analytical results, we discuss the magnitude and
sign of SOT. Our results show that the different sign of SOT in identical
ferromagnetic layers with different supporting layers, e.g. Co/Pt and Co/Ta,
could be attributed to electrostatic doping of the ferromagnetic layer by the
support.Comment: 10 pages, 2 figure
Calculations of spin-disorder resistivity from first principles
Spin-disorder resistivity of Fe and Ni is studied using the noncollinear
density functional theory. The Landauer conductance is averaged over random
disorder configurations and fitted to Ohm's law. The distribution function is
approximated by the mean-field theory. The dependence of spin-disorder
resistivity on magnetization in Fe is found to be in excellent agreement with
the results for the isotropic s-d model. In the fully disordered state,
spin-disorder resistivity for Fe is close to experiment, while for fcc Ni it
exceeds the experimental value by a factor of 2.3. This result indicates strong
magnetic short-range order in Ni at the Curie temperature.Comment: 3 pages, 3 figure
Effect of interface states on spin-dependent tunneling in Fe/MgO/Fe tunnel junctions
The electronic structure and spin-dependent tunneling in epitaxial
Fe/MgO/Fe(001) tunnel junctions are studied using first-principles
calculations. For small MgO barrier thickness the minority-spin resonant bands
at the two interfaces make a significant contribution to the tunneling
conductance for the antiparallel magnetization, whereas these bands are, in
practice, mismatched by disorder and/or small applied bias for the parallel
magnetization. This explains the experimentally observed decrease in tunneling
magnetoresistance (TMR) for thin MgO barriers. We predict that a monolayer of
Ag epitaxially deposited at the interface between Fe and MgO suppresses
tunneling through the interface band and may thus be used to enhance the TMR
for thin barriers.Comment: 4 pages, 3 eps figures (2 in color), revtex
Oxide tunnel junctions supporting a two-dimensional electron gas
The discovery of a two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) at the interface
between insulating oxides has led to a well-deserved level of excitement due to
possible applications as "in-plane" all-oxide nanoelectronics. Here we expand
the range of possibilities to the realm of "out-of-plane" nanoelectronics by
examining such all-oxide heterostructures as barriers in tunnel junctions. As
an example system we perform first-principles electronic structure and
transport calculations of a tunnel junction with a [SrTiO3]4/[LaO]1/[SrTiO3]4
heterostructure tunneling barrier embedded between SrRuO3 electrodes. The
presence of the LaO atomic layer induces the formation of a 2DEG within the
tunneling barrier which acts as an extended defect perpendicular to the
transport direction, providing a route for resonant tunneling. Our calculations
demonstrate that the tunneling conductance in this system can be strongly
enhanced compared to a pure SrTiO3 barrier due to resonant tunneling, but that
lattice polarization effects play a significant role in determining this
behavior. In addition we find that this resonant tunneling is highly selective
of the orbital symmetry of the tunneling states due to the "orbital
polarization" of the 2DEG. We also discuss how the properties of the 2DEG are
affected by the presence of metal electrodes.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures, 1 tabl
An effective long-range attraction between protein molecules in solutions studied by small angle neutron scattering
Small angle neutron scattering intensity distributions taken from cytochrome
C and lysozyme protein solutions show a rising intensity at very small wave
vector, Q, which can be interpreted in terms of the presence of a weak
long-range attraction between protein molecules. This interaction has a range
several times that of the diameter of the protein molecule, much greater than
the range of the screened electrostatic repulsion. We show evidence that this
long-range attraction is closely related to the type of anion present and ion
concentration in the solution
The Origin of Tunneling Anisotropic Magnetoresistance in Break Junctions
First-principles calculations of electron tunneling transport in Ni and Co
break junctions reveal strong dependence of the conductance on the
magnetization direction, an effect known as tunneling anisotropic
magnetoresistance (TAMR). The origin of this phenomenon stems from resonant
states localized in the electrodes near the junction break. The energy and
broadening of these states is strongly affected by the magnetization
orientation due to spin-orbit coupling, causing TAMR to be sensitive to bias
voltage on a scale of a few mV. Our results bear a resemblance to recent
experimental data and suggest that TAMR driven by resonant states is a general
phenomenon typical for magnetic broken contacts and other experimental
geometries where a magnetic tip is used to probe electron transport.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
Measurements of Protein-Protein Interactions by Size Exclusion Chromatography
A method is presented for determining second virial coefficients B_2 of
protein solutions from retention time measurements in size exclusion
chromatography (SEC). We determine B_2 by analyzing the concentration
dependance of the chromatographic partition coefficient. We show the ability of
this method to track the evolution of B_2 from positive to negative values in
lysozyme and bovine serum albumin solutions. Our SEC results agree
quantitatively with data obtained by light scattering.Comment: 18 pages including 1 table and 5 figure
Spin-polarized two-dimensional electron gas at GdTiO3/SrTiO3 interfaces: Insight from first-principles calculations
Two-dimensional electron gases (2DEGs) at oxide interfaces have been a topic of intensive research due to their high carrier mobility and strong confinement. Additionally, strong correlations in the oxide materials can give rise to new and interesting physics, such as magnetism and metal-insulator transitions at the interface. Using first-principles calculations based on density functional theory, we demonstrate the presence of a highly spin-polarized 2DEG at the interface between the Mott insulator GdTiO3 and a band insulator SrTiO3. The strong correlations in the dopant cause ferromagnetic alignment of the interface Ti atoms and result in a fully spin-polarized 2DEG. The 2DEG consists of two types of carriers distinguished by their orbital character. The majority of the interface charge is strongly localized on the Ti dxy orbitals at the interface and a smaller fraction resides on the delocalized Ti dxz,yz states
Resonant tunneling across a ferroelectric domain wall
Motivated by recent experimental observations, we explore electron transport properties of a ferroelectric tunnel junction (FTJ) with an embedded head-to-head ferroelectric domain wall, using first-principles density-functional theory calculations. We consider a FTJ with La0.5Sr0.5MnO3 electrodes separated by a BaTiO3 barrier layer and show that an in-plane charged domain wall in the ferroelectric BaTiO3 can be induced by polar interfaces. The resulting V-shaped electrostatic potential profile across the BaTiO3 layer creates a quantum well and leads to the formation of a two-dimensional electron gas, which stabilizes the domain wall. The confined electronic states in the barrier are responsible for resonant tunneling as is evident from our quantum-transport calculations. We find that the resonant tunneling is an orbital selective process, which leads to sharp spikes in the momentum- and energy-resolved transmission spectra. Our results indicate that domain walls embedded in FTJs can be used to control the electron transport
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