Anisotropy of antiferromagnetic 180° domains in magnetoelectric LiMPO<Subscript>4</Subscript> (M = Fe,Co, Ni)

An unusual variety of magnetic, magnetoelectric and ferrotoroidic properties was observed in the lithium-orthophosphates LiMPO₄ with M = Fe, Co, Ni by optical second harmonic generation. In spite of a largely similar magnetic and crystallographic structure the compounds exhibit pronounced differences in the topology of antiferromagnetic 180° domains. In LiCoPO₄ the antiferromagnetic domains coexist with ferrotoroidic, i.e., magnetic vortex domains. For LiNiPO₄ it was shown that the weak ferrimagnetic moment of the LiMPO₄ compounds along the spin direction is rigidly coupled to the AFM order parameter so that the sign of the magnetoelectric effect is reversed by a magnetic field only. Further effects of a static magnetic field on the system are discussed.     

Ferromagnetic magnetization switching by an electric field: A review

Possible methods and problems of the development of magnetoresistive memory with electric field assisted writing have been considered. It has been shown that the most promising is the memory based on the compensated cut of multiferroic bismuth ferrite BiFeO₃. Small values of the weak ferromagnetic moment and linear magnetoelectric effect in BiFeO₃ are not obstacles to the realization of the magnetoresistive memory. Of interest is the memory switchable via piezoelectric layer induced elastic stresses, which uses the bistability of magnetization of the ferromagnetic layer.     

2-2型磁电复合薄膜CoFe2O4/Pb(Zr0.53Ti0.47)O3静磁耦合

运用溶胶-凝胶法在Pt/Ti/SiO₂/Si基片上旋涂制备了2-2型CoFe₂O₄/Pb(Zr_0.53Ti_0.47)O₃磁电复合薄膜．制备的磁电薄膜结构为基片/PZT/CFO/PZT*/CFO/PZT,通过改变中间层PZT*溶胶的浓度,改变磁性层间距以及静磁耦合的大小．SEM结果表明,复合薄膜结构致密,呈现出界面清晰平整的多层结构．制备的复合薄膜具有较好的铁电与铁磁性能．实验还研究了静磁耦合对薄膜磁电性能的影响,结果表明,随着复合薄膜磁性层间距的减小,静磁耦合效应的增加,磁电电压系数有逐渐增大的趋势.     

The magnetoelectric effects in weak ferromagnetic YMn<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>5</Subscript> modulated structure: a Landau theory approach

According to the group theory approach, linear magnetoelectric effect (ME) can not be obtained for the spatial group of YMn₂O₅, which was known to be mmm. Regard to the magnetic structure of these type of materials, we propose a magnetic group structure for the YMn₂O₅ by considering spin orientation of the Mn³⁺ and Mn⁴⁺ ions. According to the landau theory of phase transition it can be shown, how symmetrical rules result in relationship between quantities such as magnetic order, polarization, and etc. This relation shows a weak ferromagnetic state, associated with spontaneous polarization, arisen by Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya type interaction and a field induced change in magnetoelectrical susceptibility.     

On the effect of inhomogeneous magnetoelectric (flexomagnetoelectric) interaction on the spectrum and properties of magnons in multiferroics

The features of the magnon spectrum in easy-plane multiferroics (such as BiFeO₃), which allow inhomogeneous magnetoelectric (flexomagnetoelectric) interaction P[(L?)L ? LdivL], where L and P are the antiferromagnetic moment and electric polarization, respectively, have been theoretically analyzed. It has been shown that, in contrast to the magnon spectrum of a usual easy-plane antiferromagnet, a multiferroic with this magnetic structure is characterized by, first, the interaction between magnons of both branches propagating along the weak ferromagnetic moment and the appearance of a minimum (or zero) of the frequency of one of the branches, which reflects the instability of the system with respect to the transition to an inhomogeneous state with increasing flexomagnetoelectric interaction and, second, the nonequivalence (nonreciprocity) of the propagation of spin waves along and against the antiferromagnetism vector, which coincides with the toroidal moment in this system.     

Effect of cobalt on the magnetoresistance characteristics of rare-earth doped manganites

The effect of cobalt-doping on the magnetic, transport and magnetoresistance characteristics of La_1-xSr_xMnO₃ was investigated. The results show that the magnetoelectric property of rare-earth doped manganites is greatly affected by substitution of Co for Mn sites. The Curie temperature as well as the magnetic moment decreases with the increase of doping concentration, and the samples exhibit obvious characteristics of the spin glass state. Moreover, the magnetoresistance is evidently modulated by doping concentration, and the relevant temperature dependence is also suppressed. In addition, low-temperature magnetoresistance is significantly promoted as doping concentration increases, which renders a value of approximately 50% in the temperature range of 5--200~K and varies within 12.5%. It can be attributed to the effect of spin scattering, induced by cobalt doping, on the itinerant electrons of Mn ions, thus introducing a spin-disorder region into the ferromagnetic region of double-exchange interaction between neighbouring Mn³⁺ and Mn ³⁺ ions.     

Pressure-induced weak moment in the two-dimensional antiferromagnet (C2H5NH3)2CuCl4

Abstract

The two-dimensional Heisenberg antiferromagnet (C₂H₅NH₃)₂CuCl₄ has the ferromagnetic intralayer exchange interaction, while the extremely weak interlayer exchange interaction is antiferromagnetic. Neutron scattering experiments under high pressures have been performed on this compound. We confirm that the spin structure changes around 1～2 GPa from the collinear alignment along the a-axis to a spin-canting one. The weak moment due to the canting is parallel to the c-axis. The results indicate that the ferromagnetic intralayer and the antiferromagnetic interlayer exchange interactions are maintained up to 1～2 GPa. Why the weak ferromagnetic moment along the c-axis occurs is due to a lowering of crystal symmetry by pressure.     

The electronic structure and the ferromagnetic properties of the organic radical 4-methacryloyloxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-1-piperidinyloxyl (MOTMP)

The ab initio method of the full potential linearized augmented-plane-wave has been used to study the electronic band structure and the ferromagnetic (FM) properties of the organic radical MOTMP. The total and the partial density of states and the atomic spin magnetic moments are calculated. The calculation revealed that MOTMP has a stable ferromagnetic ground state and the spin magnetic moment is 1.0 μ_B per molecule, which is in good agreement with the experimental value. It is found that the unpaired electrons in this compound are localized in a molecular orbital constituted primarily of π*(NO) orbital and the main contribution of the spin magnetic moment comes from the NO free radical. It is also found that there exists ferromagnetic intermolecular interaction in the compound.     

Electronic and magnetic structure studies of double perovskite Sr2CrReO6 by first-principles calculations

First-principles calculations have been performed to study the electronic band structure and ferromagnetic properties of the double perovskite Sr₂CrReO₆. The density of states (DOS), the total energy, and the spin magnetic moment were calculated. The calculations reveal that the Sr₂CrReO₆ has a stable ferromagnetic ground state and the spin magnetic moment per molecule is 1.0 μ_B, in good agreement with the experimental value. By analysis of the band structure, we propose that the ordered double perovskite Sr₂CrReO₆ is a strong candidate for half-metallic ferromagnet.     

Magnetoelectricity in multiferroically composed multilayers and multiglasses

Single-crystalline magnetoelectric (ME) antiferromagnetic Cr₂O₃ exchange coupled to a ferromagnetic multilayer (Pt/Co/Pt)_n, n?1, represents a multiphase multiferroic material with sophisticated multifunctional properties. They comprise the possibility of switching the exchange bias (EB) of the ferromagnetic hysteresis loop via the linear ME effect of Cr₂O₃, and to design MERAM and logic cells operating at room temperature. Quadratic and cubic ME effects - promoted by soft-mode quantum fluctuations - are observed at lowest order in ceramic Sr_0.98Mn_0.02TiO₃ at low temperatures. Dipolar and spin glass orders occur simultaneously on the Mn²⁺ subsystem and form a multiglass by analogy with conventional multiferroics.     

Ni4PrB的电子结构和磁性能研究

考虑Pr-4f及Ni-3d电子间的库仑作用U和交换作用J,采用局域自旋密度近似LSDA(Local spin-density approximation)及LSDA+U(在位库仑势)近似,对Ni₄PrB化合物进行结构优化,并计算体系电子结构,能带结构和磁性能. 结果显示,Ni₄PrB具备金属半导体性质,存在Pr-Ni铁磁耦合. U的引入对体系磁特性和结构稳定性有关键作用,加U前体系磁性来源为Ni原子磁矩,加U后体系磁性来源为Pr原子,且体系稳定性提高,U值的作用对于修正体系强关联有重要影响,可以合理描述由强关联和自旋排斥引发的排斥效应. 关键词： 密度泛函理论 电子键结构 磁性能 稀土过渡金属间化合物     

SrRuO3的电子结构与磁性研究

用自洽的全势能线性丸盒轨道能带方法计算了氧化物体系SrRuO₃(SRO)的电子结构和磁性.对于理想的立方钙钛矿结构的计算得出的电子结构明显改善了已有的计算结果:每个元胞的磁矩为129μ_B,按原子球划分为084μ_B/Ru原子和011μ_B/O原子;Sr原子上的自旋磁矩几乎为零;费米能级处的态密度N(E_F)为435(states/Ryd/f.u.).关于实际的正交结构SRO,计算得出磁矩为108μ关键词： 过渡金属氧化物 电子结构 磁性     

Electronic structure and magnetic states of crystalline and fullerene-like forms of nickel dichloride NiCl<Subscript>2</Subscript>

The electronic structure and magnetic properties of the crystalline and fullerene-like forms of nickel dichloride NiCl₂ are investigated in the framework of the local spin density functional theory. It is demonstrated that the band gap can be reproduced in the energy band spectrum of the NiCl₂ compound with inclusion of the magnetic ordering in the calculation of the band structure. The metamagnetic nature of the NiCl₂ dichloride (i.e., the transition from an antiferromagnetic phase to a ferromagnetic phase in a weak magnetic field) is explained in terms of a small difference (0.025 eV/cell) between the total energies of the ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic phases. Polyhedral three-shell nanoparticles of the NiCl₂ compound exhibit magnetic properties (the magnetic moment of nickel lies in the range 2.0–2.3 μ_B). For isostructural nanoparticles of the FeCl₂ dichloride, the magnetic moment of iron is larger and falls in the range 4.2–4.5 μ_B, whereas nanoparticles of the CdCl₂ dichloride are found to be nonmagnetic. The results of analyzing the interatomic interactions indicate that the composition of fullerene-like nanoparticles of the dichlorides under investigation can deviate from the 1: 2 stoichiometric composition.     

Optical nonreciprocity in magnetic structures related to high-Tc superconductors

Rotation of the plane of polarization of reflected light (Kerr effect) is a direct manifestation of broken time-reversal symmetry and is generally associated with the appearance of a ferromagnetic moment. Here I identify magnetic structures that may arise within the unit cell of cuprate superconductors that generate polarization rotation despite the absence of a net moment. For these magnetic symmetries the Kerr effect is mediated by magnetoelectric coupling, which can arise when antiferromagnetic order breaks inversion symmetry. The structures identified are candidates for a time-reversal breaking phase in the pseudogap regime of the cuprates.     

Exact solution on the magnetism and ferroelectricity in the Ising spin chain

In this paper, we explore the magnetoelectric coupling in Ca₃CoMnO₆-type compound with the consideration of interaction between spins. Under the linear approximation of nearest-neighbor spin interaction with respect to the ion displacement, both the Hamiltonian and the partition function of the system can be simplified as the summation of two independent items, one is linear harmonic oscillator relevant to the lattice vibration, and the other is only relevant to the spin. We obtain the magnetic and ferroelectric quantities of Ca₃CoMnO₆-type rigorously on the basis of the transfer-matrix method, qualitatively exhibiting the corresponding curves taken in the presence of temperature for zero magnetic field and various magnetic fields, respectively, and our calculation results are basically consistent with the behaviors in the experiment. We find that the magnetic susceptibility in the absence of magnetic field takes on the features of ferromagnetic Ising-like behavior. Moreover, the influence of different next-nearest-neighbor exchange interaction on the magnetic susceptibility and relative dielectric constant is given as well, exhibiting the corresponding complex response of the magnetic susceptibility based on the up-up-down-down spin structure.     

Electronic structure and bulk spin-valve behavior in Ca3Ru2O7

Density functional calculations of the fermiology and magnetic properties of Ca3Ru2O7 reveal an unusual state: a bulk spin valve. The ground state consists of nearly half-metallic bilayers stacked antiferromagnetically with a weak coupling. Out of plane transport is very strongly suppressed by the antiferromagnetic alignment, which can be destroyed in favor of ferromagnetism at low energy cost. Furthermore, the spin transport in the ferromagnetic state is highly unusual; opposite sign spin polarizations are found for currents in plane and out of plane.     

Symmetry of the order parameter in the UGe2 superconductor

For the UGe₂ ferromagnetic superconductor, the forms of the order parameter are determined with allowance for the crystal symmetry and with the assumption that a strong spin-orbit interaction is present in the system. The limiting case corresponding to the immediate vicinity of the simultaneous transition to the superconducting and ferromagnetic phases is considered. The opposite limit corresponding to a wide separation of the Fermi surfaces with opposite spin orientations is considered as well. Possible effects of the ferromagnetic domain structure on the properties of UGe₂ in the superconducting state are discussed.     

Ionic liquid gating control of magnetic anisotropy in Ni0.81Fe0.19 thin films

Voltage control magnetism is one of the most energy efficient pathway towards magnetoelectric (ME) device. Ionic liquid gating (ILG) method has already shown impressive manipulation power at the IL/electrode interface to influence the structure, orbital as well as spin of the electrode materials. As key material in anisotropy magnetoresistance sensor and spin valve heterostructure, the permalloy Ni_0.81Fe_0.19 was utilized as the electrode to investigate the ILG induced magnetic anisotropy change. In this work, we realized magnetic anisotropy control in Au/[DEME]⁺[TFSI]^-/Ni_0.81Fe_0.19 (2.5 nm)/Ta heterostructure via ILG caused electrostatic doping. This is evidenced in situ reversible ferromagnetic field (H_r) shift with electron spin resonance (ESR) spectrometer. Aiming at the question whether the charge accumulation at the ionic liquid interface is the main control mechanism at low voltage, we carefully tested the relationship between the change of resonance field and the amount of surface charge. It was found that these two had a good linear relationship between −1 V and +1 V. Defining the linear parameter as A whose value is 28.7 mT m²/Col. Unlike previously reported chemical regulation of Co, this article used ionic liquids to physically regulate NiFe, which has not been studied in the previous ionic liquid regulation. And NiFe has a narrower resonance line width for easy reference to microwave devices. In addition, It also has a stronger ferromagnetic signal than Co, which can be more easily detected as a sensor device. Therefore, this system is more promising. The ILG control NiFe may lead to a new kind of magnetoelectric sensor devices and path a new way to low energy consumption spintronics.     

Half-metallic ferromagnetism in I2-VI compounds with non-magnetic dopants

First-principles calculations based on the tight-binding linear muffin-tin orbital (TB-LMTO) method were performed to investigate the occurrence of spin polarization in the alkali metal oxides (M₂O) [M: Li, Na, K, Rb] in antifluorite (anti- CaF₂-type) structure with non-magnetic (N, P, As, Sb and Bi) dopants. The calculations reveal that non-magnetic substitutional doping at anion site can induce stable half-metallic ferromagnetic ground state in I₂-VI compounds. Total energy calculations show that the antifluorite ferromagnetic state is energetically more stable than the antifluorite non-magnetic state at equilibrium volume. Ground state properties such as equilibrium lattice constant and bulk modulus were calculated. The calculated magnetic moment is found to be 1.00 μ_B per dopant atom. The magnetic moment is mainly contributed by p orbitals of dopant atom.     

Ni基金属间化合物第一性原理研究

稀土(R)-过渡族(T)金属间化合物具有优异的物理和化学性质.本研究考虑电子自旋极化作用,基于第一性原理的全电子投影缀加平面波赝势法理论,采用局域自旋密度近似(LSDA),对Ni₁₃Nd₃B₂金属间化合物进行结构优化,计算体系晶格常数、电子结构和磁性能.结果表明,Ni₁₃Nd₃B₂为带隙很小的金属导体.LSDA近似下体系原子间存在复杂作用类型,Nd原子与近邻Ni,B原子以离子键作用为主,Ni原子与近邻Ni原子间表现共价作用情形.体系存在Nd-Ni铁磁耦合,总磁矩约8.4329μB,主要由Nd原子磁矩提供,自旋极化引起的体系Nd-4f,Ni-3p,Nd-5p电子自旋劈裂为体系表现磁性的根本原因.