139 research outputs found
Bipolar High Field Excitations in Co/Cu/Co Nanopillars
Current-induced magnetic excitations in Co/Cu/Co bilayer nanopillars
(50 nm in diameter) have been studied experimentally at low temperatures
for large applied fields perpendicular to the layers. At sufficiently high
current densities excitations, which lead to a decrease in differential
resistance, are observed for both current polarities. Such bipolar excitations
are not expected in a single domain model of spin-transfer. We propose that at
high current densities strong asymmetries in the longitudinal spin accumulation
cause spin-wave instabilities transverse to the current direction in bilayer
samples, similar to those we have reported for single magnetic layer junctions.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures+ 2 additional jpg figures (Fig. 2d and Fig. 3)
high resolution figures and recent related articles are available at:
http://www.physics.nyu.edu/kentlab/news.htm
Current-Induced Effective Magnetic Fields in Co/Cu/Co Nanopillars
We present a method to measure the effective field contribution to
spin-transfer-induced interactions between the magnetic layers in a trilayer
nanostructure, which enables spin-current effects to be distinguished from the
usual charge-current-induced magnetic fields. This technique is demonstrated on
submicron Co/Cu/Co nanopillars. The hysteresis loop of one of the magnetic
layers in the trilayer is measured as a function of current while the direction
of magnetization of the other layer is kept fixed, first in one direction and
then in the opposite direction. These measurements show a current-dependent
shift of the hysteresis loop which, based on the symmetry of the magnetic
response, we associate with spin-transfer. The observed loop-shift with applied
current at room temperature is reduced in measurements at 4.2 K. We interprete
these results both in terms of a spin-current dependent effective activation
barrier for magnetization reversal and a spin-current dependent effective
magnetic field. From data at 4.2 K we estimate the magnitude of the
spin-transfer induced effective field to be Oe
cm/A, about a factor of 5 less than the spin-transfer torque.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figure
Current-Induced Magnetization Reversal in High Magnetic Fields in Co/Cu/Co Nanopillars
Current-induced magnetization dynamics in Co/Cu/Co trilayer nanopillars
(~100nm in diameter) has been studied experimentally for large applied fields
perpendicular to the layers. An abrupt and hysteretic increase in dynamic
resistance is observed at high current densities for one polarity of the
current, comparable to the giant magnetoresistance effect observed at low
fields. A micromagnetic model, that includes a spin-transfer torque, suggests
that the current induces a complete reversal of the thin Co layer to alignment
antiparallel to the applied field-that is, to a state of maximum magnetic
energy.Comment: 11 pages, 3 figures, (submitted to Phys. Rev. Lett.), added missing
figure caption of fig. 3, updated to published versio
Dynamical spin injection at a quasi-one-dimensional ferromagnet-graphene interface
We present a study of dynamical spin injection from a three-dimensional ferromagnet into two-dimensional single-layer graphene. Comparative ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) studies of ferromagnet/graphene strips buried underneath the central line of a coplanar waveguide show that the FMR linewidth broadening is the largest when the graphene layer protrudes laterally away from the ferromagnetic strip, indicating that the spin current is injected into the graphene areas away from the area directly underneath the ferromagnet being excited. Our results confirm that the observed damping is indeed a signature of dynamical spin injection, wherein a pure spin current is pumped into the single-layer graphene from the precessing magnetization of the ferromagnet. The observed spin pumping efficiency is difficult to reconcile with the expected backflow of spins according to the standard spin pumping theory and the characteristics of graphene, and constitutes an enigma for spin pumping in two-dimensional structures
Scattering theory of spin-orbit active adatoms on graphene
The scattering of two-dimensional massless Dirac fermions from local spin-orbit interactions with an origin in dilute concentrations of physisorbed atomic species on graphene is theoretically investigated. The hybridization between graphene and the adatoms' orbitals lifts spin and valley degeneracies of the pristine host material, giving rise to rich spin-orbit coupling mechanisms with features determined by the exact adsorption position on the honeycomb lattice - bridge, hollow, or top position - and the adatoms' outer-shell orbital type. Effective graphene-only Hamiltonians are derived from symmetry considerations, while a microscopic tight-binding approach connects effective low-energy couplings and graphene-adatom hybridization parameters. Within the T-matrix formalism, a theory for (spin-dependent) scattering events involving graphene's charge carriers, and the spin-orbit active adatoms is developed. Spin currents associated with intravalley and intervalley scattering are found to tend to oppose each other. We establish that under certain conditions, hollow-position adatoms give rise to the spin Hall effect, through skew scattering, while top-position adatoms induce transverse charge currents via trigonal potential scattering. We also identify the critical Fermi energy range where the spin Hall effect is dramatically enhanced, and the associated transverse spin currents can be reversed
Graphene Transport at High Carrier Densities using a Polymer Electrolyte Gate
We report the study of graphene devices in Hall-bar geometry, gated with a
polymer electrolyte. High densities of 6 are
consistently reached, significantly higher than with conventional back-gating.
The mobility follows an inverse dependence on density, which can be correlated
to a dominant scattering from weak scatterers. Furthermore, our measurements
show a Bloch-Gr\"uneisen regime until 100 K (at 6.2 ),
consistent with an increase of the density. Ubiquitous in our experiments is a
small upturn in resistivity around 3 , whose origin is
discussed. We identify two potential causes for the upturn: the renormalization
of Fermi velocity and an electrochemically-enhanced scattering rate.Comment: 13 pages, 4 figures, Published Versio
Thermally assisted magnetization reversal in the presence of a spin-transfer torque
We propose a generalized stochastic Landau-Lifshitz equation and its
corresponding Fokker-Planck equation for the magnetization dynamics in the
presence of spin transfer torques. Since the spin transfer torque can pump a
magnetic energy into the magnetic system, the equilibrium temperature of the
magnetic system is ill-defined. We introduce an effective temperature based on
a stationary solution of the Fokker-Planck equation. In the limit of high
energy barriers, the law of thermal agitation is derived. We find that the
N\'{e}el-Brown relaxation formula remains valid as long as we replace the
temperature by an effective one that is linearly dependent of the spin torque.
We carry out the numerical integration of the stochastic Landau-Lifshitz
equation to support our theory. Our results agree with existing experimental
data.Comment: 5 figure
Quantum interference and Klein tunneling in graphene heterojunctions
The observation of quantum conductance oscillations in mesoscopic systems has
traditionally required the confinement of the carriers to a phase space of
reduced dimensionality. While electron optics such as lensing and focusing have
been demonstrated experimentally, building a collimated electron interferometer
in two unconfined dimensions has remained a challenge due to the difficulty of
creating electrostatic barriers that are sharp on the order of the electron
wavelength. Here, we report the observation of conductance oscillations in
extremely narrow graphene heterostructures where a resonant cavity is formed
between two electrostatically created bipolar junctions. Analysis of the
oscillations confirms that p-n junctions have a collimating effect on
ballistically transmitted carriers. The phase shift observed in the conductance
fringes at low magnetic fields is a signature of the perfect transmission of
carriers normally incident on the junctions and thus constitutes a direct
experimental observation of ``Klein Tunneling.''Comment: 13 pages and 6 figures including supplementary information. The paper
has been modified in light of new theoretical results available at
arXiv:0808.048
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