102 research outputs found
Proximity effect of vanadium on spin-density-wave magnetism in Cr films
The spin-density wave (SDW) state in thin chromium films is well known to be
strongly affected by proximity effects from neighboring layers. To date the
main attention has been given to effects arising from exchange interactions at
interfaces. In the present work we report on combined neutron and synchrotron
scattering studies of proximity effects in Cr/V films where the boundary
condition is due to the hybridization of Cr with paramagnetic V at the
interface. We find that the V/Cr interface has a strong and long-range effect
on the polarization, period, and the N\'{e}el temperature of the SDW in rather
thick Cr films. This unusually strong effect is unexpected and not predicted by
theory.Comment: 7 figure
Thermally induced magnetic relaxation in square artificial spin ice
The properties of natural and artificial assemblies of interacting elements,
ranging from Quarks to Galaxies, are at the heart of Physics. The collective
response and dynamics of such assemblies are dictated by the intrinsic
dynamical properties of the building blocks, the nature of their interactions
and topological constraints. Here we report on the relaxation dynamics of the
magnetization of artificial assemblies of mesoscopic spins. In our model
nano-magnetic system - square artificial spin ice - we are able to control the
geometrical arrangement and interaction strength between the magnetically
interacting building blocks by means of nano-lithography. Using time resolved
magnetometry we show that the relaxation process can be described using the
Kohlrausch law and that the extracted temperature dependent relaxation times of
the assemblies follow the Vogel-Fulcher law. The results provide insight into
the relaxation dynamics of mesoscopic nano-magnetic model systems, with
adjustable energy and time scales, and demonstrates that these can serve as an
ideal playground for the studies of collective dynamics and relaxations.Comment: 15 pages, 5 figure
Finite-size effects in amorphous Fe90Zr10/Al75Zr25 multilayers
The thickness dependence of the magnetic properties of amorphous Fe90Zr10
layers has been explored using Fe90Zr10/Al75Zr25 multilayers. The Al75Zr25
layer thickness is kept at 40 \AA, while the thickness of the Fe90Zr10 layers
is varied between 5 and 20 \AA. The thickness of the Al75Zr25 layers is
sufficiently large to suppress any significant interlayer coupling. Both the
Curie temperature and the spontaneous magnetization decrease non-linearly with
decreasing thickness of the Fe90Zr10 layers. No ferromagnetic order is observed
in the multilayer with 5 {\AA} Fe90Zr10 layers. The variation of the Curie
temperature with the Fe90Zr10 layer thickness is fitted with a
finite-size scaling formula [1-\Tc(t)/\Tc(\infty)]=[(t-t')/t_0]^{-\lambda},
yielding , and a critical thickness \AA, below which the
Curie temperature is zero.Comment: 8 pages, 8 figure
Magnetic order and energy-scale hierarchy in artificial spin ice
In order to explain and predict the properties of many physical systems, it
is essential to understand the interplay of different energy-scales. Here we
present investigations of the magnetic order in thermalised artificial spin ice
structures, with different activation energies of the interacting Ising-like
elements. We image the thermally equilibrated magnetic states of the
nano-structures using synchrotron-based magnetic microscopy. By comparing
results obtained from structures with one or two different activation energies,
we demonstrate a clear impact on the resulting magnetic order. The differences
are obtained by the analysis of the magnetic spin structure factors, in which
the role of the activation energies is manifested by distinct short-range
order. This demonstrates that artificial spin systems can serve as model
systems, allowing the definition of energy-scales by geometrical design and
providing the backdrop for understanding their interplay.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures (+ supplementary 6 pages, 4 figures
Influence of the magnetic field on the plasmonic properties of transparent Ni anti-dot arrays
Extraordinary optical transmission is observed due to the excitation of
surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) in 2-Dimensional hexagonal anti-dot patterns
of pure Ni thin films, grown on sapphire substrates. A strong enhancement of
the polar Kerr rotation is recorded at the surface plasmon related transmission
maximum. Angular resolved reflectivity measurements under an applied field,
reveal an enhancement and a shift of the normalized reflectivity difference
upon reversal of the magnetic saturation (transverse magneto-optical Kerr
effect-TMOKE). The change of the TMOKE signal clearly shows the magnetic field
modulation of the dispersion relation of SPPs launched in a 2D patterned
ferromagnetic Ni film
Dynamic Critical Behavior of the Heisenberg Model with Strong Easy Plane Anisotropy
The dynamic critical behavior of the Heisenberg model with a strong
anisotropy of the exchange constant in the z direction is investigated. The
main features of the time evolution of this model are revealed. The static and
dynamic critical behavior of planar magnetic models is shown to be described
well by the Heisenberg model with strong easy plane anisotropy.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, 1 tabl
Mg/Ti multilayers: structural, optical and hydrogen absorption properties
Mg-Ti alloys have uncommon optical and hydrogen absorbing properties,
originating from a "spinodal-like" microstructure with a small degree of
chemical short-range order in the atoms distribution. In the present study we
artificially engineer short-range order by depositing Pd-capped Mg/Ti
multilayers with different periodicities and characterize them both
structurally and optically. Notwithstanding the large lattice parameter
mismatch between Mg and Ti, the as-deposited metallic multilayers show good
structural coherence. Upon exposure to H2 gas a two-step hydrogenation process
occurs, with the Ti layers forming the hydride before Mg. From in-situ
measurements of the bilayer thickness L at different hydrogen pressures, we
observe large out-of-plane expansions of the Mg and Ti layers upon
hydrogenation, indicating strong plastic deformations in the films and a
consequent shortening of the coherence length. Upon unloading at room
temperature in air, hydrogen atoms remain trapped in the Ti layers due to
kinetic constraints. Such loading/unloading sequence can be explained in terms
of the different thermodynamic properties of hydrogen in Mg and Ti, as shown by
diffusion calculations on a model multilayered systems. Absorption isotherms
measured by hydrogenography can be interpreted as a result of the elastic
clamping arising from strongly bonded Mg/Pd and broken Mg/Ti interfaces
Structural and optical properties of Mg<sub>x</sub>Al<sub>1-x</sub>H<sub>y</sub> gradient thin films: a combinatorial approach
The structural, optical and dc electrical properties of MgxAl1-x (0.2≤x≤0.9) gradient thin films covered with Pd/Mg are investigated before and after exposure to hydrogen. We use hydrogenography, a novel high-throughput optical technique, to map simultaneously all the hydride forming compositions and the kinetics thereof in the gradient thin film. Metallic Mg in the MgxAl1-x layer undergoes a metal-to-semiconductor transition and MgH₂ is formed for all Mg fractions x investigated. The presence of an amorphous Mg-Al phase in the thin film phase diagram enhances strongly the kinetics of hydrogenation. In the Al-rich part of the film, a complex H-induced segregation of MgH₂ and Al occurs. This uncommon large-scale segregation is evidenced by metal and hydrogen profiling using Rutherford backscattering spectrometry and resonant nuclear analysis based on the reaction ¹H(¹⁵N,αγ)¹²C. Besides MgH₂, an additional semiconducting phase is found by electrical conductivity measurements around an atomic [Al]/[Mg] ratio of 2 (x=0.33). This suggests that the film is partially transformed into Mg(AlH₄)₂ at around this composition
Hard X-ray standing-wave photoemission insights into the structure of an epitaxial Fe/MgO multilayer magnetic tunnel junction
The Fe/MgO magnetic tunnel junction is a classic spintronic system, with current importance technologically and interest for future innovation. The key magnetic properties are linked directly to the structure of hard-to-access buried interfaces, and the Fe and MgO components near the surface are unstable when exposed to air, making a deeper probing, nondestructive, in-situ measurement ideal for this system. We have thus applied hard X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (HXPS) and standing-wave (SW) HXPS in the few kilo-electron-volt energy range to probe the structure of an epitaxially grown MgO/Fe superlattice. The superlattice consists of 9 repeats of MgO grown on Fe by magnetron sputtering on an MgO(001) substrate, with a protective Al2O3 capping layer. We determine through SW-HXPS that 8 of the 9 repeats are similar and ordered, with a period of 33 ± 4 Å, with the minor presence of FeO at the interfaces and a significantly distorted top bilayer with ca. 3 times the oxidation of the lower layers at the top MgO/Fe interface. There is evidence of asymmetrical oxidation on the top and bottom of the Fe layers. We find agreement with dark-field scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) and X-ray reflectivity measurements. Through the STEM measurements, we confirm an overall epitaxial stack with dislocations and warping at the interfaces of ca. 5 Å. We also note a distinct difference in the top bilayer, especially MgO, with possible Fe inclusions. We thus demonstrate that SW-HXPS can be used to probe deep buried interfaces of novel magnetic devices with few-angstrom precision
Використання кавітаційних пристроїв в харчовій промисловості
We present a direct experimental investigation of the thermal ordering in an artificial analogue of an asymmetric two-dimensional Ising system composed of a rectangular array of nano-fabricated magnetostatically interacting islands. During fabrication and below a critical thickness of the magnetic material the islands are thermally fluctuating and thus the system is able to explore its phase space. Above the critical thickness the islands freeze-in resulting in an arrested thermalized state for the array. Determining the magnetic state we demonstrate a genuine artificial two-dimensional Ising system which can be analyzed in the context of nearest neighbor interactions
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