Spin and charge ordering in three-leg ladders in oxyborates

We study the spin ordering within the three-leg ladders present in the oxyborate Fe3O2BO3 consisting of localized classical spins interacting with conduction electrons (one electron per rung). We also consider the competition with antiferromagnetic superexchange interactions to determine the magnetic phase diagram. Besides a ferromagnetic phase we find (i) a phase with ferromagnetic rungs ordered antiferromagnetically and (ii) a zigzag canted spin ordering along the legs. We also determine the induced charge ordering within the different phases and the interplay with lattice instability. Our model is discussed in connection with the lattice dimerization transition observed in this system, emphasizing the role of the magnetic structure.     

NMR probe of phase segregation in electron doped mixed valence manganites

A 55Mn and 139La NMR study of La0.35Ca0.65MnO3 is reported. The zero field 55Mn spectra consist of two lines centered at 290 and 375 MHz. Their behavior under an applied magnetic field makes it possible to attribute them to regions of antiferromagnetically and ferromagnetically coupled Mn spins, respectively. This gives evidence for the existence of electronic phase segregation of microscopic ferromagnetic regions of double exchange coupled Mn spins over a charge ordered antiferromagnetic background. The behavior of these ferromagnetic regions in the applied magnetic field is related to the magnetoresistive properties of the manganites.     

Exchange interaction between single magnetic adatoms

The magnetic coupling between single Co atoms adsorbed on a copper surface is determined by probing the Kondo resonance using low-temperature scanning tunneling spectroscopy. The Kondo resonance, which is due to magnetic correlation effects between the spin of a magnetic adatom and the conduction electrons of the substrate, is modified in a characteristic way by the coupling of the neighboring adatom spins. Increasing the interatomic distance of a Cobalt dimer from 2.56 to 8.1 A we follow the oscillatory transition from ferromagnetic to antiferromagnetic coupling. Adding a third atom to the antiferromagnetically coupled dimer results in the formation of a collective correlated state.     

Ordering of magnetic impurities and tunable electronic properties of topological insulators

We study collective behavior of magnetic adatoms randomly distributed on the surface of a topological insulator. Interactions of an ensemble of adatoms are frustrated, as the RKKY-type interactions of two adatom spins depend on the directions of spins relative to the vector connecting them. We show that at low temperatures the frustrated RKKY interactions give rise to two phases: an ordered ferromagnetic phase with spins pointing perpendicular to the surface, and a disordered spin-glass-like phase. The two phases are separated by a quantum phase transition driven by the magnetic exchange anisotropy. The ordered phase breaks time-reversal symmetry spontaneously, driving the surface states into a gapped state, which exhibits an anomalous quantum Hall effect and provides a realization of the parity anomaly. We find that the magnetic ordering is suppressed by potential scattering.     

Magnetic order in TbNiAl and TbCuAl intermetallic compounds

Polycrystalline samples of the ternary intermetallics TbNiAl and TbCuAl are investigated by means of magnetization and neutron diffraction measurements. When Cu replaces Ni in the crystal structure, the magnetic behaviour is shown to be totally different, although both elements are non-magnetic. Analysis of the neutron spectra by the Rietveld refinement method gives evidence that TbNiAl orders antiferromagnetically whereas TbCuAl becomes ferromagnetic. Frustrated spins at the Tb atoms are found only in the TbNiAl compound. Their alignment changes at a second magnetic transition. The magnetic structures and the transition temperatures are discussed.     

Magnetic order in TbNiAl and TbCuAl intermetallic compounds

Polycrystalline samples of the ternary intermetallics TbNiAl and TbCuAl are investigated by means of magnetization and neutron diffraction measurements. When Cu replaces Ni in the crystal structure, the magnetic behaviour is shown to be totally different, although both elements are non-magnetic. Analysis of the neutron spectra by the Rietveld refinement method gives evidence that TbNiAl orders antiferromagnetically whereas TbCuAl becomes ferromagnetic. Frustrated spins at the Tb atoms are found only in the TbNiAl compound. Their alignment changes at a second magnetic transition. The magnetic structures and the transition temperatures are discussed.     

Effects of structure on exchange interactions in crystalline and amorphous alloys GdxY50−xAg50

Magnetic interactions and effects of dilution with nonmagnetic Y on the magnetic properties of crystalline and amorphous alloys Gd_xY_50−xAg₅₀ (10 ≤ x ≤ 50) have been investigated by measurements of bulk magnetization and susceptibility and by Mössbauer spectroscopy with ¹⁵⁵Gd. The crystalline alloys order antiferromagnetically for all Gd concentrations with a noncollinear arrangement of Gd moments induced by negative biquadratic exchange interactions. In amorphous alloys, ferromagnetic order is found for large Gd concentrations (x ≥ 40). Below the critical concentration x_cr, in the range 30<x_cr<40, properties typical for magnetic cluster glasses are observed. Magnetic hyperfine fields B_hf at ¹⁵⁵Gd nuclei vary with x in opposite directions in amorphous and in crystalline alloys. In crystalline alloys, the variation is due to a positive transferred hyperfine field. In amorphous alloys, a reduction of |B_hf| with decreasing Gd concentration is caused by a reduction of the frozen Gd moments in the cluster glass phase.     

Particle size effect on magnetotransport properties of nanocrystalline Nd<Subscript>0.7</Subscript>Sr<Subscript>0.3</Subscript>MnO<Subscript>3</Subscript>

Nanocrystalline samples with an average particle size of 40 and 52 nm have been synthesized by citrate-complex auto-ignition method. Magnetic properties of the samples show para- to ferromagnetic transition at around 135 K. The electron magnetic resonance (EMR) study on these samples indicates the presence of coexistence of two magnetic phases below 290 K. Electrical resistivity follows variable range hopping (VRH) mechanism in the paramagnetic regime. The magnetoresistance (MR) data has been analysed by spin dependent hopping between the localized spin clusters together with the phase-separation phenomenon. These clusters are assumed to be formed by distribution of canted spins and defects all over the nanoparticle. In addition, the hopping barrier depends on the magnetic moment orientation of the clusters. The magnetic moments of the clusters are narrowly oriented in ferro- and are randomly oriented in paramagnetic phase. The ferromagnetic phase contributes to the total MR at low applied magnetic fields whereas the paramagnetic phase contributes at relatively high fields in both the samples. The average cluster size in ferromagnetic phase is bigger than that in paramagnetic phase. It is also observed that the cluster size, in ferromagnetic phase, in 52 nm sample is bigger than that in the 40 nm sample. However, the average cluster size in paramagnetic phase is almost same in both the samples.     

Effect of impurities on the properties of superconductor with helical order of localized spins

The Cooper pairing of electrons in the crystal with regularly distributed localized spins is considered. We study the case when the exchange interaction of electrons and localized spins leads to the helical magnetic order in superconductivity while in the absence of the superconductivity the ferromagnetic order occurs. We show that the scattering of electrons on the nonmagnetic impurities narrows the region of existence of the superconducting phase with helical order of spins (HS-phase). This narrowing is not considerable and condition on the purity of the crystals under which the HS-phase may be observable is not severe.     

Enhanced decoherence in the vicinity of a phase transition

We study the decoherence of a spin-1/2 induced by an environment which is on the verge of a continuous phase transition. We consider spin environments described by the ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic Heisenberg models on a square lattice. As is well known, these two-dimensional systems undergo a continuous phase transition at zero temperature, where the spins order spontaneously. For weak coupling of the central spin to these baths, we find that as one approaches the transition temperature, critical fluctuations make the central spin decohere faster. Furthermore, the decoherence is maximal at zero temperature as signaled by the divergence of the Markovian decoherence rate.     

Room-temperature ferromagnetic Mn-alloyed ZnO films obtained by pulsed laser deposition

Ferromagnetic, semi-insulating Mn-alloyed ZnO films with a Curie temperature above 375 K have been grown by pulsed laser deposition on c-plane sapphire substrates. Antiferromagnetic coupling is revealed by temperature-dependent magnetization measurements. The antiferromagnetic coupling would be compatible with the observed weak ferromagnetism by assuming that the magnetic moments order antiferromagnetically but nonparallel (canted). We find a clear correlation between coercivity and mosaicity of the ferromagnetic Mn-alloyed ZnO films and explain it on the basis of a coercivity mechanism known from soft magnetic materials.     

Quantum information processing with large nuclear spins in GaAs semiconductors

We propose an implementation for quantum information processing based on coherent manipulations of nuclear spins I=3/2 in GaAs semiconductors. We describe theoretically an NMR method which involves multiphoton transitions and which exploits the nonequidistance of nuclear spin levels due to quadrupolar splittings. Starting from known spin anisotropies we derive effective Hamiltonians in a generalized rotating frame, valid for arbitrary I, which allow us to describe the nonperturbative time evolution of spin states generated by magnetic rf fields. We identify an experimentally observable regime for multiphoton Rabi oscillations. In the nonlinear regime, we find Berry phase interference.     

Thermal entanglement in the mixed three-spin XXZ Heisenberg model on a triangular cell

We numerically investigate the thermal entanglements of spins （1/2, 1） and spins （1/2, 1/2） in the three-mixed （1/2, 1, 1/2） anisotropic Heisenberg XXZ spin system on a simple triangular cell under an inhomogeneous magnetic field. We show that the external magnetic field induces strong plateau formation in the pairwise thermal entanglement for fixed parame-ters of the Hamiltonian in the cases of ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic interactions. We also .observe an unexpected critical point at finite temperature in the thermal entanglement of spins （1/2, 1） for the antiferromagnetic case, while the entanglement of spins （1/2, 1） in the ferromagnetic case and the entanglement of spins （1/2, 1/2） in both ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic cases almost decay exponentially to zero with increasing temperature. The critical point in the en-tanglement of spins （1/2, 1） in the antiferromagnetic case may be a signature of the quantum phase transition at finite temperature.     

Entanglement detection in the mixed-spin Ising–XY model

In the present work, we initially verify anisotropy effect on the heat capacity of a mixed-three-spin(1/2,1,1/2) system(where spins(1/2,1/2) have XY interaction and spins(1,1/2) have Ising interaction together) at finite temperatures, then,the pairwise entanglement for spins(1/2,1/2), by means of negativity(as a measure of entanglement) as a function of the temperature T, homogeneous magnetic field B, and anisotropy parameter γ is investigated. In addition, we show that one can find magnetic phase transition points for the spins(1/2,1/2) at finite temperatures and understand properly their behavior with respect to the magnetic field and the anisotropy parameter, via the negativity function. An interval of the magnetic field from the negativity diagram of the spins(1/2,1/2) is presented in which quantum phase transition occurs for the tripartite mixed-three-spin system. Finally, some new interesting entanglement witnesses are introduced by using non-degenerate perturbation theory for the mixed-three-spin system.     

A spin- {1 \over 2} model for CsCuCl3 in an external magnetic field

CsCuCl₃ is a ferromagnetically stacked triangular spin-1/2 antiferromagnet. We discuss models for its zero-temperature magnetization process. The models range from three antiferromagnetically coupled ferromagnetic chains to the full three-dimensional situation. The situation with spin-1/2 is treated by expansions around the Ising limit and exact diagonalization. Further, weak-coupling perturbation theory is used mainly for three coupled chains which are also investigated numerically using the density-matrix renormalization group technique. We find that already the three-chain model gives rise to the plateau-like feature at one third of the saturation magnetization which is observed in magnetization experiments on CsCuCl₃ for a magnetic field perpendicular to the crystal axis. For a magnetic field parallel to the crystal axis, a jump is observed in the experimental magnetization curve in the region of again about one third of the saturation magnetization. In contrast to earlier spinwave computations, we do not find any evidence for such a jump with the model in the appropriate parameter region. Received 25 October 1999 and Received in final form 30 December 1999     

Spin dynamics in (III,Mn)V ferromagnetic semiconductors: the role of correlations

We address the role of correlations between spin and charge degrees of freedom on the dynamical properties of ferromagnetic systems governed by the magnetic exchange interaction between itinerant and localized spins. For this we introduce a general theory that treats quantum fluctuations beyond the random phase approximation based on a correlation expansion of the Green's function equations of motion. We calculate the spin susceptibility, spin-wave excitation spectrum, and magnetization precession damping. We find that correlations strongly affect the magnitude and carrier concentration dependence of the spin stiffness and magnetization Gilbert damping.     

Coupling single molecule magnets to ferromagnetic substrates

We investigate the interaction of TbPc(2) single molecule magnets (SMMs) with ferromagnetic Ni substrates. Using element-resolved x-ray magnetic circular dichroism, we show that TbPc(2) couples antiferromagnetically to Ni films through ligand-mediated superexchange. This coupling is strongly anisotropic and can be manipulated by doping the interface with electron acceptor or donor atoms. We observe that the relative orientation of the substrate and molecule anisotropy axes critically affects the SMM magnetic behavior. TbPc(2) complexes deposited on perpendicularly magnetized Ni films exhibit enhanced magnetic remanence compared to SMMs in the bulk. Contrary to paramagnetic molecules pinned to a ferromagnetic support layer, we find that TbPc(2) can be magnetized parallel or antiparallel to the substrate, opening the possibility to exploit SMMs in spin valve devices.     

应变作用下EuTiO_3材料磁性的格林函数理论研究

基于自旋波和格林函数理论,研究了低温下二维应变诱导的EuTiO_3在铁电四方相下的磁性性质,主要讨论了在铁电四方相下Eu离子在铁磁性和反铁磁性有序时系统沿不同高对称性方向的自旋波散射和磁化.我们发现施加外加应变不仅可改变晶格结构的对称性,还可以通过改变电子自旋之间的交换耦合作用,进而改变该材料的磁性散射和磁化等.     

应变作用下EuTiO3材料磁性的格林函数理论研究

基于自旋波和格林函数理论,研究了低温下二维应变诱导的EuTiO3在铁电四方相下的磁性性质,主要讨论了在铁电四方相下Eu离子在铁磁性和反铁磁性有序时系统沿不同高对称性方向的自旋波散射和磁化。我们发现施加外加应变不仅可改变晶格结构的对称性,还可以通过改变电子自旋之间的交换耦合作用,进而改变该材料的磁性散射和磁化等。     

Domain walls in antiferromagnetically coupled multilayer films

We report experimentally observed magnetic domain-wall structures in antiferromagnetically coupled multilayer films with perpendicular anisotropy. Our studies reveal a first-order phase transition from domain walls with no net moment to domain walls with ferromagnetic cores. The transition originates from the competition between dipolar and exchange energies, which we tune by means of layer thickness. Although observed in a synthetic antiferromagnetic system, such domain-wall structures may be expected to occur in A-type antiferromagnets with anisotropic exchange coupling.