Angular dependence of tunneling magnetoresistance in La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 step-edge junctions

La_0.7Sr_0.3MnO₃ (LSMO) tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) junctions have been fabricated on step-edge (0 0 1) SrTiO₃ substrates with a high step-edge angle. In the measurement of magnetoresistance (MR) ratio versus external magnetic field H, butterfly-like MR curves are clearly observed. The MR(H  ) curves vary with θ$\theta$, the angle between the applied magnetic field and the current direction in the substrate plane, showing anisotropic MR properties. A much broader MR(H) response is observed for the configuration of H perpendicular to the substrate plane. Additionally, the maxima-MR field H_p almost coincides with the coercive field H_c for θ<60°$\theta <60°$ but obeys a different form from _Hc(θ)$H_{\mathrm{c}}(\theta )$. The high-field junction resistance shows an intrinsic sin²θ${\sin }^2\theta$ angular dependence, while the low-field resistance shows an extrinsic cos(4θ)$\cos (4\theta )$ angular dependence. The distinctive features are mainly due to the induced magnetization anisotropy in the artificial steps of grain boundaries.     

Effect of La doping on magnetotransport and magnetic properties of double perovskite Sr2FeMoO6 system

We have investigated the magnetotransport and magnetic properties on polycrystalline samples of Sr_2−xLa_xFeMoO₆ (x=0$x=0$, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8 and 1.0). The magnitude of intergrain tunneling magnetoresistance with low magnetic field of 0.88 T for x=0.2$x=0.2$ and 0.4$0.4$ samples are as large as 5% and 7% at room temperature and 13% and 10% at 10 K, respectively. The increase of coercivity (_Hc$H_{\mathrm{c}}$), ratio of remanent magnetization with respect to saturation magnetization (_Mr/_Ms$M_{\mathrm{r}}/M_{\mathrm{s}}$), high saturation fields, and reduction of the saturation magnetization indicate that random disorder of spin orientation is mainly responsible for enhancement of the low-field magnetoresistance for samples with x?0.4$x?0.4$. Whereas rapid drop of _Hc$H_{\mathrm{c}}$, _Mr/_Ms$M_{\mathrm{r}}/M_{\mathrm{s}}$, _Mr$M_{\mathrm{r}}$, and saturation fields for samples with x>0.4$x>0.4$ signifies the growth of antiphase boundary, which gives rise to lower values of low-field MR.     

Systematic study on QCD interactions of heavy mesons with ρ meson

The strong interactions of the negative-parity heavy mesons with ρ   meson may be described consistently in the context of an effective Lagrangian, which is invariant under isospin SU(2)$\mathit{SU}(2)$ transformation. Four coupling constants g_HHρ$g_{HH\rho }$, f_H∗Hρ$f_{H^{\ast }H\rho }$, g_H∗H∗ρ$g_{H^{\ast }{H}^{\ast }\rho }$ and f_H∗H∗ρ$f_{H^{\ast }{H}^{\ast }\rho }$ enter the effective Lagrangian, where H  (H^∗)$(H^{\ast })$ denotes a pseudoscalar bottom or charm meson (the corresponding vector meson). Using QCD light cone sum rule (LCSR) method and, as inputs, the hadronic parameters updated recently, we give an estimate of g_H∗H∗ρ$g_{H^{\ast }{H}^{\ast }\rho }$ and f_H∗H∗ρ$f_{H^{\ast }{H}^{\ast }\rho }$, about which little was known before, and present an improved result for g_HHρ$g_{HH\rho }$ and f_H∗Hρ$f_{H^{\ast }H\rho }$. Also, we examine the heavy quark asymptotic behavior of these nonperturbative quantities and assess the two low energy parameters β and λ of the corresponding effective chiral Lagrangian.     

Is space-time symmetry a suitable generalization of parity-time symmetry?

We discuss space-time symmetric Hamiltonian operators of the form H=H₀+igH^′$H=H_0+ig{H}^{\prime }$, where H₀$H_0$ is Hermitian and g$g$ real. H₀$H_0$ is invariant under the unitary operations of a point group G$G$ while H^′$H^{\prime }$ is invariant under transformation by elements of a subgroup G^′$G^{\prime }$ of G$G$. If G$G$ exhibits irreducible representations of dimension greater than unity, then it is possible that H$H$ has complex eigenvalues for sufficiently small nonzero values of g$g$. In the particular case that H$H$ is parity-time symmetric then it appears to exhibit real eigenvalues for all 0<g<g_c$0<g<g_c$, where g_c$g_c$ is the exceptional point closest to the origin. Point-group symmetry and perturbation theory enable one to predict whether H$H$ may exhibit real or complex eigenvalues for g>0$g>0$. We illustrate the main theoretical results and conclusions of this paper by means of two- and three-dimensional Hamiltonians exhibiting a variety of different point-group symmetries.     

Three PT-symmetric Hamiltonians with completely different spectra

We discuss three Hamiltonians, each with a central-field part H₀$H_0$ and a PT-symmetric perturbation igz$igz$. When H₀$H_0$ is the isotropic Harmonic oscillator the spectrum is real for all g$g$ because H$H$ is isospectral to H₀+g²/2$H_0+g^2/2$. When H₀$H_0$ is the Hydrogen atom then infinitely many eigenvalues are complex for all g$g$. If the potential in H₀$H_0$ is linear in the radial variable r$r$ then the spectrum of H$H$ exhibits real eigenvalues for 0<g<g_c$0<g<g_c$ and a PT phase transition at g_c$g_c$.     

Magnetic entropy-change in La0.67−xBixCa0.33MnO3 compound

Bi doped lanthanum manganites with the chemical composition of La_0.67−xBi_xCa_0.33MnO₃ (x=0$x=0$, 0.05, 0.1, 0.2) were prepared by the standard solid-state process. The Curie temperatures were measured to be 267 K for x=0$x=0$, 248 K for x=0.05$x=0.05$, 244 K for x=0.1$x=0.1$ and 229 K for x=0.2$x=0.2$ samples. It was found that the maximum value of the magnetic entropy change ∣ΔS_m∣ has reached the highest value of 6.08 J/kg K at 3 T for the composition with x=0.05$x=0.05$. Nearly the same maximum entropy change was observed for the x=0$x=0$ sample. A large decrease in the magnitude of the entropy change was observed for the x=0.2$x=0.2$ sample.     

Voltage-induced modification in magnetic coercivity of patterned Co50Fe50 thin film on piezoelectric substrate

A controlled modulation of magnetic properties through the inverse piezoelectric (PE) effect was investigated by means of the magneto-optical Kerr effect magnetometry in a periodic array of ferromagnetic (FM) Co₅₀Fe₅₀ stripes patterned on a commercial PE substrate. The coercive field (_Hc)$(H_{\mathrm{c}})$ rise (up to 80% in virgin cycle and 25% in subsequent cycles) when a DC electric field (up to 75 kV/cm) is applied on the PE substrate manifests a magnetoelectric coupling between the PE substrate and adjacent FM layer. The electric field dependence of _Hc$H_{\mathrm{c}}$ resembles the shear strain response to electric field of the PE constituent. The differences in the hysteresis loops shape when the magnetic field is oriented parallel and perpendicular to the stripes, reveal the interplay of the shape and stress anisotropy of the ferromagnet. Besides the inherent difficulties on constructing, an epitaxial hybrid system is a promising candidate of future random access memories designation.     

Soft magnetic characteristics of an ultrathin CoFeNi free layer in spin-valve films

We have investigated the soft magnetic characteristics of an ultrathin Co-rich CoFeNi free layer in spin-valve films. By addition of Ni to a Co-rich CoFe free layer, magnetostriction (λ$\lambda$) of the films increased positively with Ni concentration, in contrast to which a Co₉₀Fe₁₀ free layer showed a negatively large λ$\lambda$. However, Ni addition also caused an increase in coercivity of the easy axis direction (H_c^e.a.). To avoid this problem, a slight decrease in the Co contents of a CoFeNi free layer was found to be effective for decreasing H_c^e.a.. In order to satisfy both the small λ$\lambda$ and H_c^e.a., a free layer of (Co₈₆Fe₁₄)₈₈₋₉₄Ni₁₂₋₆ proved to be an optimum composition in spin-valve films. Moreover, the zero λ$\lambda$ composition of the CoFeNi free layer was changed by a high-conductance Cu layer deposited on the free layer, which was considered to come from the lattice strain of a free layer.     

Tunable dielectric response of transition metals dichalcogenides MX2 (M=Mo,W; X=S,Se, Te): Effect of quantum confinement

The first principle calculations have been performed to study the influence of number of layers on the dielectric properties of dichalcogenides of Mo and W for in-plan (E⊥c)$(E\perp c)$ as well as out-of-plan polarization (E∥c)$(E\parallel c)$. We have taken bulk, mono, bi, four and 6-layer setup for this study. The EELS shows significant red shift in the energies of π$\pi$ plasmons, while prominent red shift has been found for the energies of (π+σ)$(\pi +\sigma )$ plasmons of all the studied materials by reducing the number of layers from bulk to monolayer limit. The ?_s${?}_s$ has been found to red shifted by 62.5% (66.3%), 48.5% (62.1%), 52.7% (66.2%), 61.7% (64.6%), 61.5% (66.7%) and 62.5% (70.5%) from bulk values of MoS₂, MoSe₂, MoTe₂, WS₂, WSe₂, WTe₂ respectively for E⊥c$E\perp c$(E∥c)$(E\parallel c)$ as one goes from bulk to monolayer of these materials. The interband transitions are found to remain independent of the number of layers, however their intensity decreases with decrease in the number of layers. The dielectric functions are highly anisotropic in low energy range and becomes isotropic in high energy range.     

Anisotropic in-plane misfit strains dependence of phase diagrams and dielectric behavior in epitaxial Pb(Zr1−xTix)O3 thin films

A phenomenological Landau–Devonshire thermodynamic theory is used to describe the effects of anisotropic in-plane misfit strains on equilibrium polarization states and dielectric properties of single domain epitaxial Pb(Zr_1−xTi_x)O₃ thin films grown on dissimilar orthorhombic substrates. Compared with the “isotropic in-plane misfit strains-temperature” phase diagrams, the characteristic features of “misfit strain-misfit strain” and “misfit strain-temperature” phase diagrams under the circumstance of strain anisotropy are the presence of four different phases (a^′$a^{\prime }$, a^″$a^{″}$, a^′c$a^{\prime }c$, and a^″c$a^{″}c$) and the direct 90° polarization switching between c   phase and a^′$a^{\prime }$ phase (or a^″$a^{″}$ phase), between a^′$a^{\prime }$ phase and a^″$a^{″}$ phase. The misfit strain dependence of polarization components, the small-signal dielectric responses and the tunabilities at room temperature are also calculated. We find that the phase diagrams and dielectric properties largely depend on anisotropic in-plane misfit strains as well. Moreover, the strain anisotropy will lead to the polarization and dielectric anisotropy.     

On m-accretive Schrödinger-type operators with singular potentials on Riemannian manifolds

We consider a Schrödinger-type differential expression _HV=∇^∗∇+V$H_V={\nabla }^{\ast }\nabla +V$, where ∇$\nabla$ is a Hermitian connection on a Hermitian vector bundle E$E$ over a complete Riemannian manifold (M,g)$(M,g)$ with metric g$g$ and positive smooth measure dμ$d\mu$, and V$V$ is a locally integrable section of the bundle of endomorphisms of E$E$. We give a sufficient condition for m$m$-accretivity of a realization of _HV$H_V$ in L²(E)$L^2\left(E\right)$.     

The role of dipolar interaction in nanocomposite permanent magnets

The effects of dipolar interactions on the magnetization behaviors and magnetic properties of the nanocomposite magnets have been studied by micromagnetic simulations. Numerical results show that the dipolar interaction plays an important role during the demagnetization process, especially in the magnets with large soft-phase content _vs$v_{\mathrm{s}}$. For the isotropic nanocomposites, the remanence enhancement can be controlled through adjustments of the grain size D   and _vs$v_{\mathrm{s}}$. However, the appearance of magnetic vortex state leads to a very low remanence in the magnets with large D   and _vs$v_{\mathrm{s}}$. The dependence of coercivity on D   and _vs$v_{\mathrm{s}}$ can be attributed to the exchange-induced magnetization reversal near the grain boundaries and the low nucleation field of soft phase, respectively. For the anisotropic nanocomposites, the reduced remanence _mr$m_{\mathrm{r}}$ is equal to 1.0$1.0$ for the magnets with small D   or with low _vs$v_{\mathrm{s}}$. However, _mr$m_{\mathrm{r}}$ decreases with increasing _vs$v_{\mathrm{s}}$ for the magnet with large D   due to the influence of dipolar interactions. The difference between the calculated coercivity _Hc$H_{\mathrm{c}}$ with and without considering dipolar interaction shows that the dipolar interaction plays a more important role during the magnetization reversal in the soft phase than that in the hard phase. The maximum calculated energy product of the isotropic nanocomposites is only about 40 MGOe due to the conflicting relation between remanence and coercivity, while that of the anisotropic nanocomposites is 112 MGOe. This reminds us that the alignment of hard grain is important to obtain high performance.     

On analogues of black brane solutions in the model with multicomponent anisotropic fluid

A family of spherically symmetric solutions with horizon in the model with m  -component anisotropic fluid is presented. The metrics are defined on a manifold that contains a product of n−1$n-1$ Ricci-flat “internal” spaces. The equation of state for any s  -th component is defined by a vector Us$U^s$ belonging to Rn+1${\mathbb{R}}^{n+1}$. The solutions are governed by moduli functions Hs$H_s$ obeying non-linear differential equations with certain boundary conditions imposed. A simulation of black brane solutions in the model with antisymmetric forms is considered. An example of solution imitating M₂–M₅$M_2\text{–}{M}_5$ configuration (in D=11$D=11$ supergravity) corresponding to Lie algebra A₂$A_2$ is presented.     

Domain wall propagation in Permalloy nanowires with a thickness gradient

The magnetization reversal behavior of Permalloy nanowires has been investigated using a magneto-optic Kerr effect setup. Nanowires with various widths, w=250$w=250$ nm to 3 μm and a thickness of t=10$t=10$ nm were fabricated by electron-beam lithography and subsequent lift-off. Furthermore, similar nanowires but with a thickness gradient along the nanowire axis have been prepared to investigate the influence of the gradient on the magnetic domain wall propagation. Magnetization hysteresis loops recorded on individual nanowires without a gradient are compared to corresponding wires with a thickness gradient. The dependence of the coercive field, _Hc$H_c$ vs. t/w$t/w$ shows a linear behavior for wires without a gradient. However, wires with a gradient display a more complex crossover behavior. We find a plateau in the _Hc$H_c$ vs. t/w$t/w$ curve at values of w$w$, where a transformation from transverse to vortex domain wall type is expected.     

Local anodization of permalloy film by atomic force microscope

Local anodization on a permalloy (_Ni80Fe20)${\mathrm{Ni}}_{80}{\mathrm{Fe}}_{20})$ thin film by an atomic force microscope (AFM) in air was studied. Fabrication of uniform structure on the permalloy film was difficult in comparison with that on a Si(1 0 0) substrate. On the permalloy film, threshold voltage for the AFM anodization increased until 3 h after exposure to air. With passage of time, I–V$I–V$ curves on the permalloy film also changed from metallic behavior to insulating one. In addition, I–V$I–V$ curves varied at positions on the permalloy film. The oxide layer with time- and position-dependencies can induce non-uniform structure in AFM anodization. However, uniformity of structure was able to be improved by using method of fabrication of dots.