Magnetic excitations in vanadium spinels

We study magnetic excitations in vanadium spinel oxides AV$_2$O$_4$ (A=Zn, Mg, Cd) using two models: first one is a superexchange model for vanadium S=1 spins, second one includes in addition spin-orbit coupling, and crystal anisotropy. We show that the experimentally observed magnetic ordering can be obtained in both models, however the orbital ordering is different with and without spin-orbit coupling and crystal anisotropy. We demonstrate that this difference strongly affects the spin-wave excitation spectrum above the magnetically ordered state, and argue that the neutron measurement of such dispersion is a way to distinguish between the two possible orbital orderings in AV$_2$O$_4$.Comment: accepted in Phys. Rev.

Spin excitations used to probe the nature of the exchange coupling in the magnetically ordered ground state of Pr0.5_{0.5}Ca0.5_{0.5}MnO3_{3}

We have used time-of-flight inelastic neutron scattering to measure the spin wave spectrum of the canonical half-doped manganite Pr$_{0.5}$Ca$_{0.5}$MnO$_{3}$, in its magnetic and orbitally ordered phase. The data, which cover multiple Brillouin zones and the entire energy range of the excitations, are compared with several different models that are all consistent with the CE-type magnetic order, but arise through different exchange coupling schemes. The Goodenough model, i.e. an ordered state comprising strong nearest neighbor ferromagnetic interactions along zig-zag chains with antiferromagnetic inter-chain coupling, provides the best description of the data, provided that further neighbor interactions along the chains are included. We are able to rule out a coupling scheme involving formation of strongly bound ferromagnetic dimers, i.e. Zener polarons, on the basis of gross features of the observed spin wave spectrum. A model with weaker dimerization reproduces the observed dispersion but can be ruled out on the basis of discrepancies between the calculated and observed structure factors at certain positions in reciprocal space. Adding further neighbor interactions results in almost no dimerization, i.e. recovery of the Goodenough model. These results are consistent with theoretical analysis of the degenerate double exchange model for half-doping, and provide a recipe for how to interpret future measurements away from half-doping, where degenerate double exchange models predict more complex ground states.Comment: 14 pages, 11 figure

Soil Testing for Agronomic and Environmental Uses

Soil testing is a program that includes taking samples from a field or site, performing a laboratory analysis, and making recommendations for lime and crop nutrients. Good results from this program depend on several supporting factors: (I) obtaining samples representative of the soil in a field area or site; (2) using good techniques in the laboratory that give accurate indications of the nutrient status of the sampled area; and (3) having an extensive data base for making lime and nutrient recommendations from the analytical results

A Modified Stacking Ensemble Machine Learning Algorithm Using Genetic Algorithms

With the massive increase in the data being collected as a result of ubiquitous information gathering devices, and the increased need for doing data mining and analyses, there is a need for scaling up and improving the performance of traditional data mining and learning algorithms. Two related fields of distributed data mining and ensemble learning aim to address this scaling issue. Distributed data mining looks at how data that is distributed can be effectively mined without having to collect the data at one central location. Ensemble learning techniques aim to create a meta-classifier by combining several classifiers created on the same data and improve their performance. In this paper we use concepts from both of these fields to create a modified and improved version of the standard stacking ensemble learning technique by using a genetic algorithm (GA) for creating the meta-classifier. We use concepts from distributed data mining to study different ways of distributing the data and use the concept of stacking ensemble learning to use different learning algorithms on each sub-set and create a meta-classifier using a genetic algorithm. We test the GA-based stacking algorithm on ten data sets from the UCI Data Repository and show the improvement in performance over the individual learning algorithms as well as over the standard stacking algorithm

Magnetic properties of σ\sigma-FeCr alloy as calculated with the charge and spin self-consistent KKR(CPA) method

Magnetic properties of a $\sigma-$Fe$_{16}$Cr$_{14}$ alloy calculated with the charge and spin self- consistent Korringa-Kohn-Rostoker (KKR) and combined with coherent potential approximation (KKR-CPA) methods are reported. Non-magnetic state as well as various magnetic orderings were considered, i.e. ferromagnetic (FM) and more complex anti-parallel (called APM) arrangements for selected sublattices, as follows from the symmetry analysis. It has been shown that the Stoner criterion applied to non-magnetic density of states at the Fermi energy, $E_F$ is satisfied for Fe atoms situated on all five lattice sites, while it is not fulfilled for all Cr atoms. In FM and APM states, the values of magnetic moments on Fe atoms occupying various sites are dispersed between 0 and 2.5 $\mu_B$, and they are proportional to the number of Fe atoms in the nearest-neighbor shell. Magnetic moments of Cr atoms havin much smaller values were found to be coupled antiparallel to those of Fe atoms. The average value of the magnetic moment per atom was found to be $=0.55 \mu_B$ that is by a factor of 4 larger than the experimental value found for a $\sigma-$Fe$_{0.538}$Cr$_{0.462}$ sample. Conversely, admitting an anti- parallel ordering (APM model) on atoms situated on C and D sites, according to the group theory and symmetry analysis results, yielded a substantial reduction of to 0.20 $\mu_B$. Further diminution of to 0.15 $\mu_B$, which is very close to the experimental value of 0.14 $\mu_B$, has been achieved with the KKR-CPA calculations by considering a chemical disorder on sites B, C and D

Strong out-of-plane magnetic anisotropy of Fe adatoms on Bi2_2Te3_3

The electronic and magnetic properties of individual Fe atoms adsorbed on the surface of the topological insulator Bi$_2$Te$_3$(111) are investigated. Scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy prove the existence of two distinct types of Fe species, while our first-principles calculations assign them to Fe adatoms in the hcp and fcc hollow sites. The combination of x-ray magnetic circular dichroism measurements and angular dependent magnetization curves reveals out-of-plane anisotropies for both species with anisotropy constants of $K_{\text{fcc}} = (10 \pm 4)$ meV/atom and $K_{\text{hcp}} = (8 \pm 4)$ meV/atom. These values are well in line with the results of calculations.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figure

Evidence for Paleolake Rawtenstall around Stacksteads, Upper Irwell Valley, Rossendale, U.K.

This paper presents new geomorphological and sedimentological evidence relating to the glaciation of the Upper Rossendale Valley, northwest England. We identify a previously unrecognised esker and associated glaciofluvial deposits within the valley, using high-resolution hillshaded Digital Terrain Models (DTMs) constructed using LiDAR data. A temporary exposure in a subaqueous outwash fan indicates the operation of an efflux jet from a conduit exiting an ice margin in the vicinity of theThrutch (Stacksteads) Gorge. We propose that the gorge was formed primarily by incision due to the drainage of the ice-dammed paleolake Rawtenstall during a previous glacial phase, but later operated as a subglacial meltwater channel after a local readvance of ice during the last Glacial Termination. A similar approach in other areas is likely to improve our detailed understanding of glaciation in the North West