Control of spin waves in a thin film ferromagnetic insulator through interfacial spin scattering

Control of spin waves in a ferrite thin film via interfacial spin scattering was demonstrated. The experiments used a 4.6 μm-thick yttrium iron garnet (YIG) film strip with a 20-nm thick Pt capping layer. A dc current pulse was applied to the Pt layer and produced a spin current across the Pt thickness. As the spin current scatters off the YIG surface, it can either amplify or attenuate spin-wave pulses that travel in the YIG strip, depending on the current or field configuration. The spin scattering also affects the saturation behavior of high-power spin waves.     

Surface sound waves on the domain boundaries in ferroelectrics and their contribution to the low-temperature specific heat

It is argued that surface sound waves may propagate along the domain boundary in a ferroelectric. These waves cause oscillatory motion of the boundary. Their contribution to the specific heat at a low temperature T is proportional to T².     

Bose-Einstein condensation and thermodynamic functions of 4He film

A monolayer of ⁴He atoms is treated as a system of hard-sphere bosons in a thin film geometry, with a finite thickness. The method of pseudopotential is used to calculate first the energy spectrum, and then the Helmholtz free energy and other thermodynamic functions of the system. It is found that Bose-Einstein condensation exists below a definite temperature. Much like a liquid-gas transition, the boson system displays a high temperature normal phase, a low temperature condensed superfluid phase and coexistence region. In the present treatment, the minimum momentum associated with the finite thickness of monolayer is used as a parameter. We find that the transition temperature is linearly proportional to the density of the ⁴He film. After performing double-tangent construction of the Helmholtz free energy curve we find for the specific heat a rounded peak at the transition temperature, in agreement with recent experiments. The ratio of the superfluid density at the transition point to the transition temperature is found to be essentially a constant.     

Thermal conductivity and specific heat of SrCu2(BO3)2: A quasi-two-dimensional metal oxide compound with a spin gap

The thermal conductivity and specific heat of SrCu₂(BO₃)₂, a quasi-two-dimensional metal oxide compound with a spin gap, were studied at low temperatures. In the temperature interval 0.4<T<3.2 K, the thermal conductivity of a single crystal sample in the ab plane varies according to the power law κ∝T ^2.73. As the temperature increases further, a deep minimum is observed in the region of T _min≈9.8 K. This behavior is explained by the scattering of phonons—the major heat carriers—on the fluctuations of the spin subsystem.     

The effect of a surface on the dynamic and thermodynamic properties of S=1 Heisenberg ferromagnet with biquadratic exchange

Properties of semi-infinite (S=1) Heisenberg ferromagnet with biquadratic exchange were studied in terms of surface exchange (=I_S/I) and biquadratic coupling (a). It was shown that a strict correlation exists, depending on , between the type of surface spin waves (acoustic or optical) and the mean-field (MF) critical temperature, bulk (T_c) and surface T_c^S>T_c (for ). Within the framework of the Landau–Ginsburg theory for semi-infinite simple cubic ferromagnet, a detailed study is presented of the critical behaviour of the system, in particular in the vicinity of the tricritical point which is the consequence of the biquadratic interaction. It is shown that tricritical exponents satisfy exactly the scaling relations for d=3. The analysis of the spin–spin correlation function within the framework of the same theory, shows that there occurs the critical magnetic scattering of low-energy electrons (LEED) from the surface in the case , when the ordering temperature T_c^S is approached from above (from paramagnetic phase). In the opposite case, , there occurs no surface critical scattering. It was also shown that in the vicinity of the tricritical point, the biquadratic interaction increases the range of validity of the MF approximation.     

The theory of ferromagnetic and spin-wave resonance in a thin film magnetized parallel to its own plane

The excitation of spin waves in a thin magnetic film magnetized parallel to its own plane is examined, commencing with a solution of the Landau-Lifschitz equation with general boundary conditions. The effects on the excitation spectrum of finite damping, finite spin fixation on the film surface, and inhomogeneous distribution of the shf field over the film thickness are examined.Translated from Izvestiya VUZ. Fizika, No. 12, pp. 105–111, December, 1971.     

Anomalous Heat and Momentum Transport Arising from Surface Roughness in a Normal <Superscript>3</Superscript>He Slab

I discuss heat and momentum transport in a mesoscopic film of ³He, confined by rough walls in the normal Fermi liquid state. Inelastic binary quasiparticle scattering mediated by elastic scattering from the surface roughness gives rise to a coherent “mixed” scattering channel that drives anomalous transport over a range of temperature. I calculate the thermal conductivity and viscosity of the film in this regime and derive these in terms of the film thickness and autocorrelation function of the surface roughness, which enters the formulation as an independent input. This calculation can be useful in understanding and isolating the effects of confinement and surface roughness, especially in the context of exploring the superfluid state in the film.     

Resistivity of thin gold films on mica induced by electron-surface scattering: Application of quantitative scanning tunneling microscopy

We report a comparison between the resistivity measured on thin gold films deposited on mica, with predictions based upon classical theories of size effects (Drude's, Sondheimer's and Calecki's), as well as predictions based upon quantum theories of electron-surface scattering (the modified theory of Sheng, Xing and Wang, the theory of Tesanovic, Jaric and Maekawa, and that of Trivedi and Aschroft). From topographic images of the surface recorded with a Scanning Tunneling Microscope, we determined the rms roughness amplitude, δ and the lateral correlation length, ξ corresponding to a Gaussian representation of the average height-height autocorrelation function, describing the roughness of each sample in the scale of length set by the Fermi wave length. Using (δ, ξ) as input data, we present a rigorous comparison between resistivity data and predictions based upon the theory of Calecki as well as quantum theoretical predictions without adjustable parameters. The resistivity was measured on gold films of different thickness evaporated onto mica substrates, between 4 K and 300 K. The resistivity data covers the range 0.1 < x(T) < 6.8, for 4 K < T < 300 K, where x(T) is the ratio between film thickness and electron mean free path in the bulk at temperature T. We experimentally identify electron-surface and electron-phonon scattering as the microscopic electron scattering mechanisms giving rise to the macroscopic resistivity. The different theories are all capable of estimating the thin film resistivity to an accuracy better than 10%; however the mean free path and the resistivity characterizing the bulk turn out to depend on film thickness. Surprisingly, only the Sondheimer theory and its quantum version, the modified theory of Sheng, Xing and Wang, predict and increase in resistivity induced by size effects that seems consistent with published galvanomagnetic phenomena also arising from electron-surface scattering measured at low temperatures.     

Specific heat of the spin-Peierls compound CuGeO3

The specific heat of the quasi-onedimensional magnetic compound CuGeO₃ shows a sharp anomaly at the spin-Peierls transition temperatureT _sp . The experimental decrease of the magnetic specific heat belowT _sp indicates the presence of a spin gap as observed previously with inelastic neutron scattering. A magnetic field of 6T suppressesT _sp only slightly but reduces the spin gap by a factor of two.     

The spin glass correlation length and the crossover from three to two dimensions

The identification of a time and temperature dependent spin glass correlation length, ξ(t,T), has consequences for samples of finite size. Previous experiments on layered samples show a suppression of the freezing temperature with decreasing sample thickness. The correlation length exceeding the finite sample thickness can explain these results. This novel analysis lends further credence to the correlation length paradigm of understanding spin glasses.     

Wärmewiderstand durch Spinwellen —Spinwellenstreuung in einem Ferromagnetikum

The heat conduction by spin waves is obtained using the Boltzmann equation and considering only magnon-magnon scattering. In contrast to the case of phonons with a linear energy-momentum relationship, Umklapp processes need not be considered to obtain a non-vanishing collision-term in the Boltzmann equation for magnons. In a spin system with a Hamiltonian consisting of exchange and anisotropy energies the temperature dependence of the thermal resistivity isa+bT ^3/2 within the spin wave approximation.     

Spin waves in MnO; from 4°K to temperatures close to TN

Spin waves have been measured in MnO by inelastic scattering of neutrons from 4 °K to a temperature 0·25 °K below T_N. The 4 °K spectrum is interpreted in the frame of linear spin wave theory with effective exchange integrals J₁^? = 0·321 meV, J₁⁺ = 0·424 meV, J₂¹ = 0·446 meV and a phenomenological parameter for anisotropy D₁ = 0·059 meV. The effect of the actual dipole-dipole Hamiltonian is shown to give a priori a very good account of the lifting of the degeneracy of spin waves near the Brillouin zone center. The Bloch model for interacting spin waves and theories based on Green function approximations have been adapted to the MnO case, in order to compute the main properties (mean magnetization of a sublattice, anisotropic deformation, extra isotropic contraction and magnon spectrum) at many temperatures. Comparison of these with experimental results tends to favour a generalized Callen renormalization model, which gives an overall fit from 4 °K, to temperalures close to T_N.     

Mo纳米薄膜热力学性质的分子动力学模拟

采用改进嵌入原子法(MAEAM),通过经典的分子动力学(MD)模拟计算了高熔点过渡金属体心立方(bcc) Mo块体Gibbs自由能和表面能. 对于纳米薄膜的热力学数据,比如Gibbs自由能等,可以看成是薄膜内部原子和表面原子两部分数据之和,然后根据薄膜的体表原子之比就可以直接计算出总的自由能,并由此可以得到热力学性质与薄膜尺寸及温度的定量关系式. 分别计算了bcc Mo块体及其纳米尺寸薄膜的自由能和热容,结果表明,Mo纳米薄膜的热力学性质具有尺寸效应,并且在薄膜尺寸小于15—20nm时,这种效应变得非常明 关键词： 改进嵌入原子法 Mo纳米薄膜 表面自由能 热容     

Influence of self-heating on the step structures in the current-voltage characteristic of superconducting films

The current-induced transition between the normal and the superconducting state of Sn, In, and Pb films is investigated by varying the helium bath temperature, film thickness, mean free path, and an external magnetic field oriented parallel to the film surface. The experiments show that, farther fromT _c , heating effects play an important role. The heating of the films relative to the helium bath by the liberation of Joule heat in the resistive state and the influence of hotspot formation on the step structures in the current-voltage characteristics of the samples are established with a graphite thermometer. the temperature and the size of the hotspots are determined by the power dissipation, the surface heat transfer, and the heat conduction within the film.     

Electron-spin-dependent 4He+ ion scattering on Bi surfaces

We studied low-energy (～ 1.55 keV) electron-spin-polarized ⁴He⁺ ion scattering on a Bi(111) ultrathin film epitaxially grown on a Si(111) substrate. We observed that the scattered ion intensity differed between the incident He⁺ ions with up and down spins even though Bi is a non-magnetic element. To analyze the origin of this spin-dependent ion scattering (the spin asymmetry), we investigated the detailed relationship between the spin asymmetry and the incident angle, the azimuthal angle, the scattering angle, and the incident energy. All the data indicate that the spin asymmetry originates from the scattering cross section owing to the non-central force in the He⁺–Bi atom binary collision. The non-central force is most likely attributed to the spin–orbit coupling that acts transiently on the He⁺ 1s electron spin in the binary collision.     

Atomic and superatomic structures of solid solutions of zirconium and calcium oxides

Solid solutions of the ZrO₂-CaO system with 7, 9.6, and 20 mol % of calcium oxide are analyzed by X-ray and neutron diffraction and small-angle neutron scattering. Samples are synthesized by the sol-gel method and annealed at the temperature T = 600°C for 4 h. All samples have a tetragonal structure (P4₂/nmc space group). The size of crystallites is 10–20 nm. Small-angle neutron scattering curves are characterized by a peak near the momentum transfer q = 0.5 nm⁻¹. The existence of the peak is caused by correlation between solid nanoparticles in the samples. Density correlation functions are numerically computed from the experimental small-angle scattering cross-sections by the inverse Fourier transform. Correlation lengths, concentrations of scattering nanoparticles, and specific surface areas of the samples are determined.     

Magnetic contributions to the low-temperature specific heat of the ferromagnetic insulator Pr 0.8 Ca 0.2 MnO 3

The Pr _1-x Ca_xMnO₃ system exhibits a ferromagnetic insulating state for the composition range x ? 0.25. A metallic ferromagnetic state is never realized because of the low hole concentration and the very small averaged A-site cation radius. In the present study, the nature of the magnetic excitations at low temperature has been investigated by specific heat measurements on a Pr _0.8 Ca_0.2MnO₃ single crystal. The decrease of the specific heat under magnetic field is qualitatively consistent with a suppression of ferromagnetic spin waves in a magnetic field. However, at low temperature, the qualitative agreement with the ferromagnetic spin waves picture is poor. It appears that the large reduction of the specific heat due to the spin waves is compensated by a Schottky-like contribution possibly arising from a Zeeman splitting of the ground state multiplet of the Pr³⁺ ions. Received 21 May 2001 and Received in final form 14 December 2001     

On the Measurement of the Stiffness of Spin Waves in the Fe<Subscript>0.75</Subscript>Co<Subscript>0.25</Subscript>Si Helimagnet by the Small-Angle Neutron Scattering Method

The stiffness of spin waves in the Fe_0.75Co_0.25Si helimagnet with the Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction in a state fully magnetized by an external field has been measured by the small-angle neutron scattering method. It has been shown that the dispersion of magnons in this state is anisotropic because the neutron scattering pattern consists of two circles for neutrons with obtaining and losing the magnon energy, respectively. The centers of the circles are shifted by the momentum transfer oriented along the applied magnetic field H and equal to the wave vector of the spiral ±k_s measured in inverse nanometers. The radius of the circles is directly related to the stiffness of spin waves and depends on the magnitude of the magnetic field. It has been shown that the stiffness of spin waves A for the helimagnet is equal to 46.0 meV Ų at T = 0 K and decreases weakly (by 20%) with increasing temperature up to the critical value T_c = 38 K.     

Effect of ion beam irradiation on magnetism of Fe(100) outermost surfaces studied by spin-polarized ion scattering spectroscopy

We study the effect of 2 keV Ar⁺ ion beam irradiation (IBI) on the outermost surface magnetism of an Fe(100) film by spin-polarized ion scattering spectroscopy (SP-ISS). We found that the coercivity of the outermost surface is enhanced with IBI. On the other hand, spin polarization is independent of IBI. These effects of IBI on surface magnetism are discussed in terms of morphology and atomic arrangement of the surface analyzed by ISS and reflection high-energy electron diffraction. The variation of coercivity with respect to the average iron film thickness d followed a power law d^? n with the assumption that d is linearly dependent on the IBI time.     

Studies of vibrational surface modes in ionic crystals: III. Vibrational contributions to the surface thermodynamic functions for the (001) face of LiF,MgO, NaF,NaCl, Nal,RbF, and RbCl

The temperature dependence of the vibrational contributions to surface specific heat, surface entropy, surface energy, and surface Helmholtz free energy have been calculated for the (001) face of seven crystals having the rocksalt structure. The calculations assume a perfect, unrelaxed surface and make use of shell models fitted to bulk phonon spectra determined from inelastic neutron scattering. In terms of the bulk zero-temperature Debye temperature θ₀, the surface specific heat C_v^s exhibits an effective power law behavior, T^α, from at least T = 0.02 θ₀ up to 0.05 θ₀ in most cases (and up to 0.07 θ₀ for NaF), with α ≈ 2.5 in most cases — in contrast with the result of α = 2 in a Debye-like model. (Below 0.02 θ₀, results derived for our 15-layer films depart significantly from intrinsic surface effects because of the finite thickness.) C_v^s attains a maximum at a temperature T(C_max^s) ranging from 0.14 θ₀ to 0.20 θ₀, in contrast with the result T(C_max^s) = 0.21 θ₀ for the Debye-like model. The peak value C_max^s ranges from 0.34 k_BA_SUC to 0.41 k_BA_SUC, where A_SUC is the area of the surface unit cell. The shap the peak in C_v^s differs characteristically between that class of crystals in which there is some overlap of the acoustical and optical bulk bands and that class in which there is an appreciable absolute gap between the acoustical and optical bulk bands; in the latter class the peak is flattened on the low side of the maximum, with the maximum pushed to somewhat higher temperature. On those points of comparison with the rather sparse existing data for surface-excess heat capacity in which the value of specific surface area is not required (e.g., the value of T(C^s_max)), the agreement ranges from encouraging to equivocal. On those comparisons which require the surface area of the experimental samples (e.g., the magnitude of C^s_max) the agreement ranges from only fair to bad. Further experimental work is needed, and great care in surface area determinations is necessary.