Tunneling measurement of a single quantum spin

Measurement of the tunneling current of spin-polarized electrons via a molecule with a localized spin provides information on the orientation of that spin. We show that a strong tunneling current due to the shot noise suppresses the spin dynamics, such as the spin precession in an external magnetic field, and the relaxation due to the environment (quantum Zeno effect). A weak tunneling current preserves the spin precession with the oscillatory component of the current of the same order as the noise. We propose an experiment to observe the Zeno effect in a tunneling system and describe how the tunneling current may be used to read a qubit represented by a single spin 1/2.     

Magnetization process in holmium: easy axis spin reorientation induced by the magnetostrictive basal plane distortion

We report on the change of the easy axis direction in holmium, from the a to the b axis, under the application of a magnetic field in the basal plane. This spin reorientation is observed by measuring the magnetic torque in Ho(n)/Lu(15) superlattices (n and 15 are the number of atomic planes in the Ho and Lu blocks). We also observe that, at the field H0 and temperature at which the reorientation occurs, both axes are easy directions. Based on the fact that the field H0 depends on n in the same way as the field-induced magnetoelastic distortion does, we propose that this spin reorientation originates from the strong field-induced magnetoelastic deformation within the basal plane. The modulation of the alpha strains with sixfold symmetry originates a 12-fold term in the magnetic anisotropy energy.     

Nonlinear dynamics of semiclassical spin in a time-dependent magnetic field

The dynamics of magnetic nanoclusters (or molecules) with a large spin in a magnetic field whose strength varies in proportion to time is analyzed. Such a field breaks the symmetry relative to rotations through 2π, as well as clockwise and counterclockwise rotations, and induces a number of new coherent quantum effects in the spin dynamics, such as the formation of a band energy spectrum with continuous spin states or the emergence of “Bloch” oscillations in spin precession and interband Zener tunneling. Bloch oscillations are manifested in experiment as equidistant identical jumps on the magnetization curve. The interband Zener tunneling gives rise to additional jumps and peaks on the susceptibility of the system.     

Dynamics of magnetization in ferromagnet with spin-transfer torque

We review our recent works on dynamics of magnetization in ferromagnet with spin-transfer torque. Driven by constant spin-polarized current, the spin-transfer torque counteracts both the precession driven by the effective field and the Gilbert damping term different from the common understanding. When the spin current exceeds the critical value, the conjunctive action of Gilbert damping and spin-transfer torque leads naturally the novel screw-pitch effect characterized by the temporal oscillation of domain wall velocity and width. Driven by space- and time-dependent spin-polarized current and magnetic field, we expatiate the formation of domain wall velocity in ferromagnetic nanowire. We discuss the properties of dynamic magnetic soliton in uniaxial anisotropic ferromagnetic nanowire driven by spin-transfer torque, and analyze the modulation instability and dark soliton on the spin wave background, which shows the characteristic breather behavior of the soliton as it propagates along the ferromagnetic nanowire. With stronger breather character, we get the novel magnetic rogue wave and clarify its formation mechanism. The generation of magnetic rogue wave mainly arises from the accumulation of energy and magnons toward to its central part. We also observe that the spin-polarized current can control the exchange rate of magnons between the envelope soliton and the background, and the critical current condition is obtained analytically. At last, we have theoretically investigated the current-excited and frequency-adjusted ferromagnetic resonance in magnetic trilayers. A particular case of the perpendicular analyzer reveals that the ferromagnetic resonance curves, including the resonant location and the resonant linewidth, can be adjusted by changing the pinned magnetization direction and the direct current. Under the control of the current and external magnetic field, several magnetic states, such as quasi-parallel and quasi-antiparallel stable states, out-of-plane precession, and bistable states can be realized. Th     

Weak Ferromagnetism and Field-Induced Spin Reorientation in K2V3O8

Magnetization and neutron diffraction studies of the 2D S = 1/2 antiferromagnet, K2V3O8, indicate an ordered state exhibiting weak ferromagnetism and field-induced spin reorientations. Of particular interest is the behavior in a basal plane magnetic field where a unique spin reorientation is observed in which the spins rotate from the easy c axis to the basal plane while remaining normal to the applied field. The experimental observations are well described by a two spin exchange model incorporating Heisenberg and Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interactions with an additional c-axis anisotropy.     

Controllable Spin-Polarized Transport in a Three-Terminal Model

By means of the Keldysh Green's function method, we investigate the spin-polarized electron transport in a three-terminal device, which is composed of three normal metal leads and two serially-coupled quantum dots (QDs). The Rashba spin-orbit interaction (RSOI) is also considered in one of the QDs. We show that the spin-polarized charge current with arbitrary spin polarization can be obtained because of the quantum spin interference effect arising from the Rashba spin precession phase, and it can be modulated by the system parameters such as the applied external voltages, the RSOI strength, the QD levels, as well as the dot-lead coupling strengths. Moreover, a fully spin-polarized current or a pure spin current without any accompanying charge current can also be controlled to flow in the system. Our findings indicate that the proposed model can serve as an all-electrical spin device in spintronics field.     

垂直自由层倾斜极化层自旋阀结构中的磁矩翻转和进动

在理论上研究了垂直自由层和倾斜极化层自旋阀结构中自旋转移矩驱动的磁矩翻转和进动.通过线性展开包括自旋转移矩项的Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert方程并使用稳定性分析方法,得到了包括准平行稳定态、准反平行稳定态、伸出膜面进动态以及双稳态的磁性状态相图.发现通过调节电流密度和外磁场的大小可以实现磁矩从稳定态到进动态之间的转化以及在两个稳定态之间的翻转.翻转电流随外磁场的增加而增加,并且受自旋极化方向的影响.当自旋极化方向和自由层易磁化轴方向平行时,翻转电流最小;当自旋极化方向和自由层易磁化轴方向垂直时,翻转电流最大.通过数值求解微分方程,给出了不同磁性状态磁矩随时间的演化轨迹并验证了相图的正确性.     

Stationary magnetization states in a thin magnetic layer of a nanopillar multilayer structure subjected to a spin-polarized current and a magnetic field

The static and dynamic equilibrium states of spins in a thin layer of a conducting nanosized column containing two magnetic layers are analyzed theoretically. The magnetization of one of the layers is assumed to be fixed. The analysis is performed in terms of a macrospin model with allowance for the Slonczewski-Berger torque transfer. Bifurcation diagrams are constructed describing the change of spin states in the current-field plane. The relation of the specific features of varying magnetization and the spin precession frequency to bifurcations in the dynamic system under study is discussed. It is shown that the soft creation of cycles with a zero amplitude is accompanied by precession at a finite frequency and that the precession frequency becomes zero when a cycle with a finite amplitude disappears or arises in a jump. Comparative analysis is performed for two orientations of a magnetic field (parallel and perpendicular to the easy magnetization axis in the layer plane) in the presence of a current with a given spin orientation.     

Coherent optical control of the spin of a single hole in an InAs/GaAs quantum dot

We demonstrate coherent optical control of a single hole spin confined to an InAs/GaAs quantum dot. A superposition of hole-spin states is created by fast (10-100?ps) dissociation of a spin-polarized electron-hole pair. Full control of the hole spin is achieved by combining coherent rotations about two axes: Larmor precession of the hole spin about an external Voigt geometry magnetic field, and rotation about the optical axis due to the geometric phase shift induced by a picosecond laser pulse resonant with the hole-trion transition.     

Sm2(TM)17合金的磁性(自旋再取向相变)研究

本文研究了Sm₂(FeNiCoM)₁₇合金(M为非磁性组元)的磁性。样品由六角结构无序型的2∶17主相及少量FeNi合金杂相组成。在六角结构的e轴方向(易磁化方向)观察到下述异常现象:低温(273K以下)时的磁化及反磁化曲线发生明显的跃变,跃变时相应的磁场H_r随温度下降而增大;磁滞迴线是蜂腰型的,温度愈低蜂腰愈明显;升温时磁化强度随温度变化(1.5K至居里点T_C)的曲线上出现极大值,其相应的温度T_t随磁场增大而降低;降温时观察到了热磁滞后现象。但在基面(难磁化方向)上及Co含量增多(>18at％)时,样品却表现了正常的铁磁行为。本文提出用磁矩非共线结构排列的自旋再取向相变来解释上述异常现象,并给出自旋倒向所需越过的能垒高度U=9.2×10^-15erg,用设想磁结构的模型得到的磁化强度的计算值与实验值也符合得较好。 关键词：     

Quantum transformation of spin structure of a Fe8 nanocluster in ultrastrong magnetic fields

The transformation of the spin structure of a high-spin Fe₈ cluster in a strong magnetic field has been investigated. The magnetization and magnetic susceptibility of the material are calculated at different external magnetic fields and temperatures. It is shown that the magnetic field induces transformation of the spin structure of a Fe₈ cluster from the quasi-ferrimagnetic structure with an average magnetic moment of 20 μ_B per molecule to the quasi-ferromagnetic structure with a magnetic moment of 40 μ_B. Unlike a similar transformation of a Néel ferrimagnet, which is continuous and occurs through an intermediate angular phase, this process in Fe₈ at low temperatures manifests itself as a cascade of discrete quantum jumps, each being the transition accompanied by an increase in the spin number of the complex. At high temperatures, the behavior of the magnetic cluster approaches the cluster behavior described by the classical theory. The nature of quantum jumps is discussed in terms of the magnetic-field-induced energy level crossing in the ground state of a magnetic cluster. __________ Translated from Fizika Tverdogo Tela, Vol. 42, No. 6, 2000, pp. 1068–1072. Original Russian Text Copyright ? 2000 by Zvezdin, Plis, Popov.     

Production of Fe clusters by collisions of metal vapour with supersonic argon beams

For a spin-polarized plane wave passing through a spin-rotator containing uniform magnetic field, we provide a detailed analysis for solving the appropriate Schrödinger equation. A modified expression for spin precession is obtained which reduces to the standard Larmor precession relation when kinetic energy is very large compared to the spin-magnetic field interaction. We show that there are experimentally verifiable regimes of departure from the standard Larmor precession formula. The treatment is then extended to the case of a spin-polarized wave packet passing through a uniform magnetic field. The results based on the standard expression for Larmor precession and that obtained from the modified formula are compared in various regimes of the experimental parameters.     

Uniform spin wave modes in antiferromagnetic nanoparticles with uncompensated moments

In magnetic nanoparticles the uniform precession (q = 0 spin wave) mode gives the predominant contribution to the magnetic excitations. We have calculated the energy of the uniform mode in antiferromagnetic nanoparticles with uncompensated magnetic moments, using the coherent potential approximation. In the presence of uncompensated moments, an antiferromagnetic nanoparticle must be considered as a kind of a ferrimagnet. Two magnetic anisotropy terms are considered, a planar term confining the spins to the basal plane, and an axial term determining an easy axis in this plane. Excitation energies are calculated for various combinations of these two anisotropy terms, ranging from the simple uniaxial case to the planar case with a strong out-of-plane anisotropy. In the simple uniaxial case, the uncompensated moment has a large influence on the excitation energy, but in the planar case it is much less important. The calculations explain recent neutron scattering measurements on nanoparticles of antiferromagnetic α-Fe₂O₃ and NiO.     

Electronic spin precession and interferometry from spin-orbital entanglement in a double quantum dot

A double quantum dot inserted in parallel between two metallic leads can entangle the electron spin with the orbital (dot index) degree of freedom. An Aharonov-Bohm orbital phase can be transferred to the spinor wave function, providing a geometrical control of the spin precession around a fixed magnetic field. A fully coherent behavior occurs in a mixed orbital-spin Kondo regime. Evidence for the spin precession can be obtained, either using spin-polarized metallic leads or by placing the double dot in one branch of a metallic loop.     

Magnetization and torque measurements on Nd2Fe14B single crystals

Magnetization and torque measurements on single crystal specimens of Nd₂Fe₁₄B have been carried out. The magnetization values measured always in the direction of easy magnetization and those in the [001] direction have been precisely determined at temperatures from 4.2K to 600K with a superconducting magnet up to 52.65 kOe. Below the spin reorientation temperature 135K, the magnetization value of the direction of easy magnetization increases anomalously with decreasing temperature. The direction of easy magnetization tilts from the [001] axis to the [110] axis and this tilt angle has been also precisely determined by torque measurement in the temperature range below the spin reorientation temperature. The four-fold symmetry in torque curve for the (001) plane is continously observed at even up to near room temperature and the [110] direction of easy magnetization and the [100] direction of hard magnetization do not change below and above the spin reorientation temperature.     

Ultrafast optical study of magnons in the ferromagnetic semiconductor GaMnAs

Coherent oscillations of the magnetization were observed in magneto-optical Kerr measurements in thin films of the ferromagnetic semiconductor GaMnAs. For magnetic fields oriented in the film plane, two precession modes were observed. Their frequencies increase with the field when it is along the [100] axis, whereas they behave non-monotonically when the field is oriented along the in-plane hard axis [110]. Spectra are also presented for fields applied normal to the film plane. From the measured field-dependence of the magnon frequency, the spin stiffness and magnetic anisotropy constants were obtained.     

Spin-polarized current through a lateral double quantum dot with spin–orbit interaction

We study the spin-polarized current through a vertical double quantum dot scheme. Both the Rashba spin–orbit (RSO) interaction inside one of the quantum dots and the strong intradot Coulomb interactions on the two dots are taken into account by using the second-quantized form of the Hamiltonian. Due to the existence of the RSO interaction, spin-up and spin-down electrons couple to the external leads with different strengths, and then a spin polarized current can be driven out of the middle lead by controlling a set of structure parameters and the external bias voltage. Moreover, by properly adjusting the dot levels and the external bias voltages, a pure spin current with no accompanying charge current can be generated in the weak coupling regime. We show that the difference between the intradot Coulomb interactions strongly influences the spin-polarized currents flowing through the middle lead and is undesirable in the generation of the net spin current. Based on the RSO interaction, the structure we propose can efficiently polarize the electron spin without the usage of any magnetic field or ferromagnetic material. This device can be used as a spin-battery and is realizable using the present available technologies.     

Spin Transport in a Rashba Ring-Quantum Dot System Pumped by Microwave Fields

We report a theoretical study on producing electrically spin-polarized current in the Rashba ring with parallel double dots embedded, which are subject to two time-dependent microwave fields. By means of the Keldysh Green's function method, we present an analytic result of the pumped current at adiabatic limit and demonstrate that the interplay between the quantum pumping effectand spin-dependent quantum interference can lead to an arbitrarily controllable spin-polarized current in the device. The magnitude and direction of the charge and spin current can be effectively modulated by system parameters such as the pumping phase difference, Rashba precession phase, and the dynamic phase difference of electron traveling in two arms of ring; moreover, thespin-polarization degree of the charge current can also be tuned in the range [-∞, +∞]. Our findings may shed light on the all-electric way to produce the controllable spin-polarized charge current in the field of spintronics.     

Spin filtering in a nonuniform quantum wire with Rashba spin-orbit interaction

We investigate theoretically the spin-polarized electron transport for a wide-narrow-wide (WNW) quantum wire under the modulation of Rashba spin-orbit interaction (SOI). The influence of both the structure of the quantum wire and the interference between different pairs of subbands on the spin-polarized electron transport is taken into account simultaneously via the spin-resolved lattice Green function method. It is found that a very large vertical spin-polarized current can be generated by the SOI-induced effective magnetic field at the structure-induced Fano resonance even in the presence of strong disorder. Furthermore, the magnitude of the spin polarization can be tuned by the Rashba SOI strength and structural parameters. Those results may provide an effective way to design a spin filter device without containing any magnetic materials or applying a magnetic field.     

Photon-mediated spin-polarized current in a quantum dot under thermal bias

Spin-polarized current generated by thermal bias across a system composed of a quantum dot(QD) connected to metallic leads is studied in the presence of magnetic and photon fields. The current of a certain spin orientation vanishes when the dot level is aligned to the lead's chemical potential, resulting in a 100% spin-polarized current. The spin-resolved current also changes its sign at the two sides of the zero points. By tuning the system's parameters, spin-up and spin-down currents with equal strength may flow in opposite directions, which induces a pure spin current without the accompany of charge current. With the help of the thermal bias, both the strength and the direction of the spin-polarized current can be manipulated by tuning either the frequency or the intensity of the photon field, which is beyond the reach of the usual electric bias voltage.