Possible mechanism for tunneling magnetoresistance in La0.9Ba0.1MnO3/Nb-doped SrTiO3 p-n junctions

The observed tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) effect in La_0.9Ba_0.1MnO₃ (LBMO)/Nb-doped SrTiO₃ (Nb-STO) p⁺-n junctions is investigated and a possible mechanism responsible for the TMR generation is proposed by taking into account the dynamic spin accumulation and paramagnetic magnetization in the Nb-STO layer. Because of carrier diffusion across the dynamic domain boundaries in the Nb-STO layer and spin disordering in the LBMO layer, the tunneling resistance through the junction is high at zero magnetic field. The spin disordering is suppressed upon applying a non-zero magnetic field, which results in the spin-polarized tunneling in this ferromagnetic/depletion layer/dynamic ferromagnetic sandwiched structure and thus the observed TMR effect. The dependence of the TMR effect on the domain size in the LBMO layer, the tunneling current and temperature as well is explained, qualitatively consistent with the experimental observation.     

Domain-wall induced phase shifts in spin waves

We study the interaction between two important features of ferromagnetic nanoparticles: magnetic domain walls and spin waves. Micromagnetic simulations reveal that magnetostatic spin waves change their phase as they pass through domain walls. Similar to an Aharonov-Bohm experiment, we suggest to probe this effect by splitting the waves on different branches of a ring. The interference of merging waves depends on the domain walls in the branches. A controlled manipulation of spin-wave phases could be the first step towards nanoscaled ferromagnetic devices performing logical operations based on spin-wave propagation.     

Indirect control of antiferromagnetic domain walls with spin current

The indirect controlled displacement of an antiferromagnetic domain wall by a spin current is studied by Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert spin dynamics. The antiferromagnetic domain wall can be shifted both by a spin-polarized tunnel current of a scanning tunneling microscope or by a current driven ferromagnetic domain wall in an exchange coupled antiferromagnetic-ferromagnetic layer system. The indirect control of antiferromagnetic domain walls opens up a new and promising direction for future spin device applications based on antiferromagnetic materials.     

Spin wave-like excitation of magnetization fluctuations in the vicinity of the phase transition from a paramagnetic phase to a ferromagnetic phase with domain structure

The dynamics of fluctuations in ferromagnetic samples with finite dimension has been described. There are solutions of equations of motion describing spin waves of magnetization fluctuations in the paramagnetic phase. The analysis of the dispersion relation describing the soft mode of spin waves allows us to determine the phase transition temperature from a paramagnetic phase to a ferromagnetic one with domain structure.     

AC susceptibility enhancement studies in magnetic systems

Enhancement of AC susceptibility has been observed for typical ferromagnets (Gd), reentrant spin glasses like (Fe_1.5Mn_1.5Si) and canted spin systems (Ce(Fe_0.96Al_0.04)₂). The data have been interpreted with the help of a simulation model based on dry friction-like pinning of domain walls for systems having ferromagnetic domain structures. A strong pinning mechanism appears in the reentrant spin glass like and canted spin systems at low temperatures in addition to the intrinsic one in the ferromagnetic phase. The temperature variation of the pinning potential has been given qualitatively for the reentrant spin glass like systems.     

Aging in the ferromagnetic phase of terbium

We report on aging, rejuvenation and memory effects in the ferromagnetic phase of pure terbium. We have applied an experimental method specifically for investigating slow dynamics of spin glasses, because these effects cannot be interpreted as conventional diffusion after-effects. Results show that relaxation times of the magnetic response are widely distributed, and isothermal aging shifted the distribution towards longer durations. If the sample was heated/cooled after such isothermal aging, the relaxation times shortened as if aging was starting anew; the behavior resembles that in spin glasses. Uniform magnetization experiments indicate that, unlike rejuvenation in spin glasses, ferromagnetic correlations are not returned to disorder by thermal perturbations. In contrast with memory effects in spin glasses, the effects of isothermal aging cannot be recovered once these disappear, even if the system is returned to its initial temperature. The observed results can be explained as collective pinning of the domain walls for which the potential is given by a rugged temperature-sensitive energy landscape.     

Nonlinear spin-polarized transport through a ferromagnetic domain wall

A domain wall separating two oppositely magnetized regions in a ferromagnetic semiconductor exhibits, under appropriate conditions, strongly nonlinear I-V characteristics similar to those of a p-n diode. We study these characteristics as functions of wall width and temperature. As the width increases or the temperature decreases, direct tunneling between the majority spin bands reduces the effectiveness of the diode. This has important implications for the zero-field quenched resistance of magnetic semiconductors and for the design of a recently proposed spin transistor.     

Thermal effects on domain wall depinning from a single notch

The statistical behavior of the domain wall depinning from a notch placed in a thin ferromagnetic wire is studied by means of a stochastic one-dimensional model which considers the wall as a rigid object inside a parabolic potential at room temperature. This analysis reveals the key role of thermal fluctuations on the current and field-induced domain wall depinning, and it allows for direct comparison with experiments in order to gain information on the nonadiabaticity degree of the spin torque.     

A study of the effective magnetic anisotropy and the corresponding spin configurations in two dimensional ferromagnetic/antiferromagnetic system

The spin configurations of two dimensional ferromagnetic/antiferromagnetic system were investigated using model calculations and Monte-Carlo simulation methods. The lowest energy state was obtained under various coupling conditions to investigate the role of interfacial interaction on anisotropy. We found that the total ferromagnetic layer anisotropy is contributed not only from its own crystalline anisotropy but also from the antiferromagnetic layer spin flop effect. The overall ferromagnetic layer effective anisotropy is calculated as a function of the exchange energy of antiferromagnetic layer and the interfacial interaction energy. If the effective anisotropy from the spin flop effect is comparable with the crystalline anisotropy, the asymmetric spin configuration is generated. In this configuration, the magnetization direction of the ferromagnetic layer is neither perpendicular nor parallel to the antiferromagnetic spin direction. Temperature effect on the perpendicular-to-collinear coupling transition was also investigated using Monte-Carlo simulation, and the relationship between the effective anisotropy and the temperature was obtained.     

Kondo effect in the presence of itinerant-electron ferromagnetism studied with the numerical renormalization group method

The Kondo effect in quantum dots (QDs)-artificial magnetic impurities-attached to ferromagnetic leads is studied with the numerical renormalization group method. It is shown that the QD level is spin split due to the presence of ferromagnetic electrodes, leading to a suppression of the Kondo effect. We find that the Kondo effect can be restored by compensating this splitting with a magnetic field. Although the resulting Kondo resonance then has an unusual spin asymmetry with a reduced Kondo temperature, the ground state is still a locally screened state, describable by Fermi liquid theory and a generalized Friedel sum rule, and transport at zero temperature is spin independent.     

Influence of Magnetization on the Spin Pumping Efficiency in a Ferromagnet–Normal Metal Bilayer Structure

The problem of spin current generation and transformation into electric signals in thin-film ferromagnet/nonmagnetic metal bilayer structures is investigated. This direction is of considerable scientific interest and promising for applications in spintronics. An LSMO/Pt structure consisting of an epitaxial film of ferromagnetic manganite La2/3Sr1/3O3 grown on a single-crystal NdGaO3 substrate and coated with a platinum film has been studied experimentally. The spin current was generated by the spin pumping method upon the excitation of a ferromagnetic resonance in the ferromagnetic layer and was detected by the electric voltage USP arising in the nonmagnetic metal layer due to the inverse spin Hall effect. Owing to its relatively low Curie temperature (~350 K), using LSMO allowed the influence of ferromagnetic-layer magnetization on the spin current generation to be studied in detail in the temperature range 100–350 K. In this case, the influence of the shape of the ferromagnetic resonance line, which is the convolution of homogeneous (Lorentzian) spin packets and inhomogeneous Gaussian broadening (Voigt model), was consistently taken into account. As a result of our analysis of all the parameters defining USP, we have obtained the temperature dependence of the mixed spin conductance, which has turned out to be approximately proportional to the ferromagnet magnetization squared. This result is compared with existing theoretical models.     

Current induced domain wall motion in GaMnAs close to the Curie temperature

Domain wall dynamics produced by spin transfer torques is investigated in (Ga, Mn)As ferromagnetic semiconducting tracks with perpendicular anisotropy, close to the Curie temperature. The domain wall velocities are found to follow a linear flow regime which only slightly varies with temperature. Using the D?ring inequality, boundaries of the spin polarization of the current are deduced. A comparison with the predictions of the mean field k·p theory leads to an estimation of the carrier density whose value is compatible with results published in the literature. The spin polarization of the current and the magnetization of the magnetic atoms present similar temperature variations. This leads to a weak temperature dependence of the spin drift velocity and thus of the domain wall velocity. A combined study of field- and current-driven motion and deformation of magnetic domains reveals a motion of domain walls in the steady state regime without transition to the precessional regime. The ratio between the non-adiabatic torque β and the Gilbert damping factor α is shown to remain close to unity.     

Local charge and spin currents in magnetothermal landscapes

A scannable laser beam is used to generate local thermal gradients in metallic (Co2FeAl) or insulating (Y3Fe5O12) ferromagnetic thin films. We study the resulting local charge and spin currents that arise due to the anomalous Nernst effect (ANE) and the spin Seebeck effect (SSE), respectively. In the local ANE experiments, we detect the voltage in the Co2FeAl thin film plane as a function of the laser-spot position and external magnetic field magnitude and orientation. The local SSE effect is detected in a similar fashion by exploiting the inverse spin Hall effect in a Pt layer deposited on top of the Y3Fe5O12. Our findings establish local thermal spin and charge current generation as well as spin caloritronic domain imaging.     

磁性金属纳米结构的畴壁特性与磁逻辑电路构筑

自旋电子学由于其丰富的物理内涵和广泛的应用前景受到学术界和工业界的高度重视,成为近年来凝聚态物理和信息技术领域关注的焦点。本文介绍了利用磁性金属纳米结构实现作为自旋电子器件基础的自旋注入的方法,特别涉及利用铁磁金属纳米点接触结构钉扎磁畴的特点,研究自旋极化电流与磁畴壁的相互作用规律, 理解纳米结构中畴壁的动力学行为,并以此为基础构筑结构简单、性能优异的全金属磁逻辑电路,从而实现了由电信号驱动,通过电信号检测,并与CMOS技术兼容的目的。     

Spin polarization and magnetoresistance through a ferromagnetic barrier in bilayer graphene

We study spin dependent transport through a magnetic bilayer graphene nanojunction configured as a two-dimensional normal/ferromagnetic/normal structure where the gate voltage is applied on the layers of ferromagnetic graphene. Based on the four-band Hamiltonian, conductance is calculated by using the Landauer-Buttiker formula at zero temperature. For a parallel configuration of the ferromagnetic layers of bilayer graphene, the energy band structure is metallic and spin polarization reaches its maximum value close to the resonant states, while for an antiparallel configuration the nanojunction behaves as a semiconductor and there is no spin filtering. As a result, a huge magnetoresistance is achievable by altering the configurations of ferromagnetic graphene around the band gap.     

Controllable Spin Polarization of Charge Current by Rashba Spin Orbital Coupling

We report a theoretic study on modulating the spin polarization of charge current in a mesoscopic four-terminal device of cross structure by using the inverse spin hall effect. The scattering region of device is a two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) with Rashba spin orbital interaction (RSOI), one of lead is ferromagnetic metal and other three leads are spin-degenerate normal metals. By using Landauer-Büttiker formalism, we found that when alongitudinal charge current flows through 2DEG scattering region from FM lead by external bias, the transverse current can be either a pure spin current or full-polarized charge current due to the combined effect of spin hall effect and its inverse process, and the polarization of this transverse current can be easily controlled by several device parameters such as the Fermi energy, ferromagnetic magnetization, and the RSOI constant. Our method may pave a new way to control the spin polarization of a charge current.     

Ultrafast softening in InMnAs

We have used two-color time-resolved magneto-optical Kerr effect spectroscopy to manipulate and detect dynamic processes of spin/magnetic order in a ferromagnetic semiconductor InMnAs. We observed ultrafast photo-induced “softening” (i.e., transient decrease of coercivity) due to spin-polarized transient carriers. This transient softening persists only during the carrier lifetime (2 ps) and returns to its original value as soon as the carriers recombine to disappear. Our data clearly demonstrates that magnetic properties, e.g., coercivity, can be strongly and reversibly modified in an ultrafast manner. We attribute the origin of this unusual phenomenon to carrier-mediated ferromagnetic exchange interactions between Mn ions. We discuss the dependence of data on the pump polarization, pump intensity, and sample temperature. Our observation opens up new possibilities for ultrafast optical manipulation of ferromagnetic order as well as providing a new avenue for studying the dynamics of long-range collective order in strongly correlated many-body systems.     

Observation of magnetic ripple and nanowidth domains in a layered ferromagnet

We investigated ferromagnetic domain structures on nanometer to micrometer scale for single crystals of a layered ferromagnet, La(2-2x)Sr(1+2x)Mn2O7 (0.32 < or = x < or = 0.40), as functions of x and temperature by means of Lorentz electron microscopy. We have succeeded in observing the evolution of magnetic ripple structure, dynamically, related to a spin reorientation transition where the magnetization direction switches between parallel and perpendicular to the layers. Our high-resolution magnetic domain imaging revealed that the ripple state is characterized by the evolution of magnetic nanowidth domains.     

Motion of domain walls under the action of spin-polarized current in a magnetic junction

The effect of spin-polarized current on a domain structure in a magnetic junction consisting of two ferromagnetic metallic layers separated by an ultrathin nonmagnetic layer is studied within a phenomenological theory. The magnetization of one ferromagnetic layer (layer 1) is assumed to be fixed, while that of the other ferromagnetic layer (layer 2) can be freely oriented both parallel and antiparallel to the magnetization of layer 1. Layer 2 can be split into domains. Charge transfer from layer 1 to layer 2 is not attended with spin scattering by the interface but results in spin injection. Due to s-d exchange interaction, injected spins tend to orient the magnetization in the domains parallel to layer 1. This causes the domain walls to move and “favorable” domains to grow. The average magnetization current injected into layer 2 and its contribution to the s-d exchange energy are found by solving the continuity equation for carriers with spins pointing up and down. From the minimum condition for the total magnetic energy of the junction, the parameters of the periodic domain structure in layer 2 are determined as functions of current through the junction and magnetic field. It is shown that the spin-polarized current can magnetize layer 2 up to saturation even in the absence of an external magnetic field. The associated current densities are on the order of 10⁵ A/cm². In the presence of the field, its effect can be compensated by such a high current. Current-induced magnetization reversal in the layer is also possible.     

Soft spin wave near nu=1: evidence for a magnetic instability in Skyrmion systems

The ground state of the two-dimensional electron gas near nu=1 is investigated by inelastic light scattering measurements carried down to very low temperatures. Away from nu=1, the ferromagnetic spin wave collapses and a new low-energy spin wave emerges below the Zeeman gap. The emergent spin wave shows soft behavior as its energy increases with temperature and reaches the Zeeman energy for temperatures above 2 K. The observed softening indicates an instability of the two-dimensional electron gas towards a magnetic order that breaks spin rotational symmetry. We discuss our findings in light of the possible existence of a Skyrme crystal.