Positive spin polarization in field emission from Ni (110) and demagnetization by hydrogen adsorption

The spin polarization of field-emitted electrons from the (110)-surface of ferromagnetic Ni was observed to be P = (+ 5 ± 2)% (majority spin electrons predominant). This result can be understood qualitatively in the framework of the Stoner-Wohlfarth-Slater model, using hybridized s-d bands. Adsorption of hydrogen (saturation coverage) was found to reduce the spin polarization of electrons emitted along [110] to P (H₂) = (+ 1 ± 2)%, suggesting a demagnetization of the (110)-surface of Ni by hydrogen chemisorption.     

Observation of a high spin polarization of secondary electrons from single crystal Fe and Co

The spin polarization of secondary electrons with nearly zero kinetic energy from Fe (100) and Co (10$\text{1}$0), excited with photons of energy between 20 and 60 eV, was found to be 45%±5% for Fe and 35%±5% for Co. This value is higher than the average valence band spin polarization P_b=n_b/n=2.2/8=27% and 1.7/9=19% for Fe and Co, respectively. With increasing kinetic energy, the spin polarization of the secondaries decreases to the value of P_b within the first 5 eV, remaining constant (within statistical error) at higher kinetic energies. As a spin dependent scattering process we propose excitations within the d-bands, which can be shown to be asymmetric with respect to the electron spin. The high net spin polarization of the slowest emitted electrons is obtained by filtering out monitory-spin electrons at the vacuum barrier.     

Magnetism in very thin films of permalloy measured by spin polarized cascade electrons

The spin polarizationP of the low energy cascade electrons excited with a primary unpolarized electron beam is measured with ultrathin films of permalloy (Ni₈₀Fe₂₀) as a function of film thickness, external magnetic field, and temperatureT. Surface adsorbates of small concentrations of less than 10% of a monolayer can change the Curie point and the saturation value ofP ₀(T0) by as much as 30%. The Ta-substrate induces a magnetically dead region in permalloy. Conventional spin wave theory cannot account for the observed smallT-dependence of the magnetizationM. Films on a nonmagnetic substrate are compared to similar films coupled to bulk permalloy over an interface of Ta. TheT-dependence ofM with the coupled films can be explained by spin wave theory. At lowT, the films coupled to the bulk exhibit a faster decrease ofM than the uncoupled films. We propose that this thermal stabilization of the magnetization in very thin ferromagnetic films is due to quenching of the long wavelength spin modes.     

Spin fluctuations and peculiarities of semiconductor-metal electronic transitions in almost ferromagnetic compounds of transition metals

The influence of spin fluctuations on the energy spectra of sp and d current carriers in almost ferromagnetic semiconductors based on compounds of d transition metals is examined. It is shown that because electron spectra split in the fluctuating exchange fields in almost ferromagnetic systems, electronic transitions of the type semiconductor-metal are possible, accompanied by the disappearance of energy gaps in the spectra of the sp and d electrons at various temperatures and by a shift of the chemical potential into the region of allowed energies. A specific analysis of similar electronic transitions is presented, based on the almost ferromagnetic compound FeSi. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 41, 1792–1796 (October 1999)     

Influence of local spin polarization to the Kondo effect

We use the spin non-degenerate single impurity Anderson model to investigate the influence of the local spin polarization to the Kondo effect. By using the Schrieffer-Wolff transformation, we obtain a generalized s-d exchange Hamiltonian, which describes the interaction between a polarized local spin and conduction electrons. In this case, the singlet is no longer an eigenstate as shown by variational calculations where the splitting of the local energy Δ = ɛ _d↑ − ɛ _d↓ can be arbitrarily small. The local spin polarization generates the instability of the singlet ground state of the S = 1/2 s-d exchange model.      

Electron spin polarization in the photoemission of NEA GaAs1−x P x

Negative electron affinity GaAs_1–x P _x -photocathodes emit spin-polarized electrons if irradiated with circularly polarized light. The spectra of spin polarization of photoelectrons emitted from crystals with different phosphorus contentx resemble each other in shape but shift to shorter wavelengths with increasingx. Polarization values up to 40% are observed for electrons from crystals withx=0 andx=0.38. Cathodes with higher phosphorus contents increasing fromx=0.65 tox=0.87 and tox = 1.0 deliver photoelectrons with decreasing degrees of spin polarization of 17%, 15%, and 9%, respectively, at maximum.     

Spin-dependent photoabsorption at theL-edges of ferromagnetic Gd and Tb metal

The spin-dependent absorption of circularly polarized x-rays is studied at theL-edges of ferromagnetic Gd and Tb metal. At theL ₁-edge a spin-dependent part of the absorption coefficient of 10^–3–10^–2 is observed. Strong resonance absorption known as white line occurs at theL ₂- andL ₃-absorption onset. Correlated with it one finds large spin-dependent absorption effects with amplitudes of a few percent. The spin-dependent absorption spectra reflect the profiles of the spin densities of the states populated in the absorption process. Thep-states show spin densities correlated with the first two flat bands above the Fermi level. The spin density of thed-like states is concentrated in the energy range of the white line. In Gd a splitting of (0.5–0.6) eV of the unoccupied 5d spin up and spin down bands is indicated for both spin-orbit partners. In Tb a large dependence of the 5d spin density on the spin-orbit configuration is observed. The experimental results on the spin densities in Gd are compared with band structure calculations for the ferromagnetic ground-state. The theoretical and experimental spin density profiles agree well for thep-states but not for thed-states. The discrepancy concerning thed-states may be attributed to core-hole polarization effects in the absorption process.     

Renormalization of spin polarised itinerant electron bands in the normal state of a model ferromagnetic superconductor

This paper studies the normal state properties of itinerant electrons in a toy model,which is constructed according to the model for coexisting ferromagnetism and superconductivity proposed by Suhl [Suhl H 2001 Phys.Rev.Lett.87 167007].In this theory with ferromagnetic ordering based on localized spins,the exchange interaction J between conduction electrons and localized spin is taken as the pairing glue for s-wave superconductivity.It shows that this J term will first renormalize the normal state single conduction electron structures substantially.It finds dramatically enhanced or suppressed magnetization of itinerant electrons for positive or negative J.Singlet Cooper pairing can be ruled out due to strong spin polarisation in the J > 0 case while a narrow window for s-wave superconductivity is opened around some ferromagnetic J.     

A new spin effect in photoemission with unpolarized light: Experimental evidence of spin polarized electrons in normal emission from Pt(111) and Au(111)

Unpolarized light ejects spin polarized electrons from Pt(111) and Au(111) even if the electron emission occurs normal to the surface. For off normal incidence of 11.8 eV, 16.9 eV, and 21.2 eV radiation, and for the main peaks in the photoemission spectra, a degree of spin polarization of up to 30% or more is found for the spin polarization component P _y perpendicular to the reaction plane. A crystal rotation about its surface normal does not change P _y . P _y is largest for transitions from bands with symmetry ₆ ³ . All these experimental findings agree with a recent theoretical prediction [1] of a new spin effect by Tamura and Feder.     

Position annihilation in transition metals

The positron annihilation rate in a ferromagnetic electron system which is described by a generalized Anderson model has been studied. Because of the spin polarization ofs-type electrons, the difference in the annihilation rate between the majority and the minority spins changes its sign at the momentum corresponding to the virtuald-level. The enhancement factor due to the effective Coulomb interaction between the electrons and a positron has been calculated using the dielectric constant for a ferromagnetic electron gas derived by Kim and Schwatz.     

Theory of spin-polarized Auger electron spectra in ferromagnetic materials with particular attention to L23M23M23 Auger spectrum in Fe83B17

Spin polarization of L₂₃M₂₃M₂₃ Auger electrons from ferromagnetic Fe₈₃B₁₇ is calculated with a simplified model, and compared with recent experiments. The Auger electron spectrum has two peaks, corresponding to the singlet and triplet final states of a 3p hole pair. It is shown that the spin polarizations of the singlet and triplet peaks, respectively, originate from the exchange interaction between 3d and 2p spins and that between 3d and 3p spins. Similar effects are expected to be observed commonly for L₂₃M₂₃M₂₃ Auger electrons from various ferromagnetic materials including transition elements.     

Quantized transport in two-dimensional spin-ordered structures

We study in detail the transport properties of a model of conducting electrons in the presence of double exchange between localized spins arranged on a 2D Kagome lattice, as introduced by Ohgushi, Murakami and Nagaosa. The relationship between the canting angle of the spin texture θ and the Berry phase field flux per triangular plaquette φ is derived explicitly and we emphasize the similarities between this model and Haldane's honeycomb lattice version of the quantum Hall effect. The quantization of the transverse (Hall) conductivity σ _xy is derived explicitly from the Kubo formula and a direct calculation of the longitudinal conductivity σ _xx shows the existence of a metal–insulator transition as a function of the canting angle θ (or flux density φ). This transition might be linked to that observable in the manganite compounds or in the pyrochlore ones, as the spin ordering changes from ferromagnetic to canted.     

Theoretical study on the electronic and magnetic properties of double perovskite La<Subscript>2−x</Subscript>Sr<Subscript>x</Subscript>MnCoO<Subscript>6</Subscript> (x = 0,1,2)

In this paper, the electronic and magnetic properties of double perovskite La_2−x Sr _x MnCoO₆ (x = 0,1,2) have been studied using the local-spin-density approximation + U method. For the three compositions investigated, the low symmetry P2₁/n structure yields consistently lower energy than that of the high symmetry \hbox{Fm[`3]mFm\bar{3}m} Fm3̅m structure. The strong electronic correlation and the orbital polarization of Co-d electrons play crucial roles. In agreement with experiments, we find that La<sub>2</sub>MnCoO<sub>6</sub> is a ferromagnetic insulator with both Mn and Co ions in their high-spin states. The tilting of oxygen octahedrons is most significant in this case and is responsible for its insulating behavior; for LaSrMnCoO<sub>6</sub>, the ground state remains a ferromagnetic insulator with Mn and Co ions in their high-spin states. The optimized P2<sub>1</sub>/n and \hbox{Fm[`3]mFm\bar{3}m}Fm3̅m crystal structures are nearly the same, and the P2₁/n structure is stabilized by the spontaneous layer-wise antiferro-orbital ordering of Co-d electrons. We also predict that Sr₂MnCoO₆ is a ferromagnetic metal, and its electronic structure can be viewed as a rigid band shifting from that of LaSrMnCoO₆. Due to the strong covalency between transition metal and oxygen ions, the valences of Mn and Co ions differ considerably from those derived from purely ionic model. Also, doping induced holes mainly go to oxygen sites though the density of states near the Fermi energy has strong mixed character. This feature, together with the orbital ordering phenomenon, should be observable via the X-ray near-edge absorption spectroscopy and the polarized X-ray diffraction spectra.     

Photoemission of spin-polarized electrons from negative electron affinity GaAsP

GaAs_0.62P_0.38 activated to negative electron affinity and irradiated with circularly polarized light of a wavelength shorter than approximately 680 nm emits electrons whose spins are mainly oriented antiparallel to the photon spins. At 650 nm a degree of electron spin polarization around 40% is observed. The spectrum of spin polarization of the photoelectrons is similar to that known from GaAs cathodes but is shifted to shorter wavelengths. 25 μA current of spin-polarized electrons were achieved with a 5 mW He-Ne laser.     

Electronic structure of p-type La1 ? xM x2+ MnO3 manganites in the ferromagnetic and paramagnetic phases in the LDA + GTB approach

The band structure, spectral intensity, and position of the Fermi level in doped p-type La_{1 − x} M _x/2+MnO₃ manganites (M = Sr, Ca, Ba) is analyzed using the LDA + GBT method for calculating the electronic structure of systems with strong electron correlations, taking into account antiferro-orbital ordering and using the Kugel-Khomskii ideas and real spin S = 2. The results of the ferromagnetic phase reproduce the state of a spin half-metal with 100% spin polarization at T = 0, when the spectrum is of the metal type for a quasiparticle with one spin projection and of the dielectric type for the other. It is found that the valence band becomes approximately three times narrower upon a transition to the paramagnetic phase. For the paramagnetic phase, metal properties are observed because the Fermi level is located in the valence band for any nonzero x. The dielectrization effect at the Curie temperature is possible and must be accompanied by filling of d _x orbitals upon doping. The effect itself is associated with strong electron correlations, and a complex structure of the top of the valence band is due to the Jahn-Teller effect in cubic materials.     

Scanning tunneling microscopy with spin-polarized electrons

We present a short outline of the first STM experiments with spin-polarized electrons performed in ultrahigh vacuum by using ferromagnetic CrO₂ tips and a Cr(001) single crystal surface. A clear distinction can be made between topographic STM line scans obtained with a non-magnetic tungsten tip and those obtained with a ferromagnetic CrO₂ tip, which are modified due to an additional contribution from spin-dependent vacuum tunneling. STM therefore has the potential to measure the local electron spin polarization of the free surface as well as the spatial distribution of spins on the atomic scale.     

Die Rotation des Elektronenspins beim ebenen Tunnelprozeß mit überlagertem homogenem Magnetfeld

Measurements of the spin polarization of field emitted electrons from various ferromagnetic (Gd, Ni, Fe) and nonferromagnetic metals (W) show a steady increase of the angle? _s between momentum and electron spin with increasing external magnetic field (spin rotation). This effect is refered to the coupling between the magnetic moment of the electron and the strong electric field in the potential barrier at the emitter surface during the tunneling process. A formal application of the equation of spin motion derived by Bargmann, Michel and Telegdi for an electron moving in homogeneous electromagnetic fields delivers a quantitative agreement with the experimental results.     

Efficient spin filtering in a disordered semiconductor superlattice in the presence of Dresselhaus spin-orbit coupling

The influence of the Dresselhaus spin-orbit coupling on spin polarization by tunneling through a disordered semiconductor superlattice was investigated. The Dresselhaus spin-orbit coupling causes the spin polarization of the electron due to transmission possibilities difference between spin up and spin down electrons. The electron tunneling through a zinc-blende semiconductor superlattice with InAs and GaAs layers and two variable distance In_xGa_(1−x)As impurity layers was studied. One hundred percent spin polarization was obtained by optimizing the distance between two impurity layers and impurity percent in disordered layers in the presence of Dresselhaus spin-orbit coupling. In addition, the electron transmission probability through the mentioned superlattice is too much near to one and an efficient spin filtering was recommended.     

Spin-selective Kondo insulator: cooperation of ferromagnetism and the Kondo effect

We propose the notion of a spin-selective Kondo insulator, which provides a fundamental mechanism to describe the ferromagnetic phase of the Kondo lattice model with antiferromagnetic coupling. This unveils a remarkable feature of the ferromagnetic metallic phase: the majority-spin conduction electrons show metallic while the minority-spin electrons show insulating behavior. The resulting Kondo gap in the minority-spin sector, which is due to the cooperation of ferromagnetism and partial Kondo screening, evidences a dynamically induced commensurability for a combination of minority-spin electrons and parts of localized spins. Furthermore, this mechanism predicts a nontrivial relation between the macroscopic quantities such as electron magnetization, spin polarization, and electron filling.     

Effects of Fe doping on ac susceptibility of Pr0.75Na0.25MnO3

Ac susceptibility at low temperatures of Pr_0.75Na_0.25Mn_1-xFe_xO₃ (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.30) is investigated. The peak value of the real component of ac susceptibility χ' at the freezing temperature T_f is suppressed with the increasing frequency. The peak value of χ' shows a linear relation between T_f and the logarithm of the frequency ω. The normalized slope P = ΔT_f/T_fΔlgω, which is much lower than canonical insulating spin glass systems in which 0.06 ≤ P ≤ 0.08. The peak value of the imaginary component of the ac susceptibility χ' at T_f for the x = 0, 0.02, 0.30 samples increases with increasing frequency, suggesting a cluster glass ground state with a coexistence of charge-ordered phase and correlated ferromagnetic clusters in spin glass matrix. The peak value of χ' at T_f for the x = 0.10 sample decreases with increasing frequency, suggesting a phase separation ground state. The peak value of χ' at T_f for the x = 0.05 sample decreases with increasing frequency for ω ≤ 52 Hz and increases subsequently till 701 Hz, and then decreases with further increasing frequency for ω ≥ 1501 Hz. This complex behaviour is ascribed to the competition between the effects of large and little ferromagnetic clusters in the sample. The ground state of x = 0.05 sample is a transition state from cluster glass to phase separation.