Detection of current-induced resonance of geometrically confined domain walls

Magnetic domain walls are found to exhibit quasiparticle behavior when subjected to geometrical variations. Because of the spin torque effect such a quasiparticle in a potential well is excited by an ac current leading to a dip in the depinning field at resonance for current densities as low as 2 x 10(10) A/m2. Independently the resonance frequencies of transverse walls and vortex walls are determined from the dc voltage that develops due to a rectifying effect of the resonant domain wall oscillation. The dependence on the injected current density reveals a strongly nonharmonic oscillation.     

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.     

Periodic current domains in bundles of carbon nanotubes

The dynamics of propagation of periodic electromagnetic waves and the related electric current in bundles of carbon nanotubes is studied. The study is based on an analysis of coupled equations for the classical electron distribution function in carbon nanotubes and the Maxwell equations for an electromagnetic field. An effective equation is obtained to describe the electromagnetic-field dynamics. Periodic changes are revealed in the shape of the electromagnetic wave propagating in a carbon medium. This effect is considered to be related to energy exchange between periodic oscillations having different periods. Certain regions of the current passing through carbon nanotubes form a periodic domain structure. The results of numerical calculations allow this effect to be analyzed as a function of the problem parameters.     

Chaotic dynamics of interacting domain walls in uniaxial ferromagnetic films

The nonlinear dynamics of a periodic system of interacting domain walls in a thin ferromagnetic uniaxial film with transverse anisotropy is examined. The interaction between the domain walls takes place through the magnetostatic demagnifying fields of the domains. The equations of motion derived for such a system of walls are solved numerically by a 4–5th-order Runge-Kutta scheme, while the uniformity of the distributions of the phase trajectory, the form of the Poincaré cross section, and the spectral density of the vibrations serve as indicators of the type of oscillations. All the known types of oscillations are observed in a computer simulation of this nonlinear system: periodic, quasiperiodic, and chaotic. The computational results have a universal character for uniaxial, highly-anisotropic ferromagnetic films having a strip domain structure, since the results can be easily scaled for materials with different magnetic characteristics. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 39, 2036–2039 (November 1997)     

Extreme Lagrangian acceleration in confined turbulent flow

A Lagrangian study of two-dimensional turbulence for two different geometries, a periodic and a confined circular geometry, is presented to investigate the influence of solid boundaries on the Lagrangian dynamics. It is found that the Lagrangian acceleration is even more intermittent in the confined domain than in the periodic domain. The flatness of the Lagrangian acceleration as a function of the radius shows that the influence of the wall on the Lagrangian dynamics becomes negligible in the center of the domain, and it also reveals that the wall is responsible for the increased intermittency. The transition in the Lagrangian statistics between this region, not directly influenced by the walls, and a critical radius which defines a Lagrangian boundary layer is shown to be very sharp with a sudden increase of the acceleration flatness from about 5 to about 20.     

The increase of the spin-transfer torque threshold current density in coupled vortex domain walls

We have studied the dependence on the domain wall structure of the spin-transfer torque current density threshold for the onset of wall motion in curved, Gd-doped Ni(80)Fe(20) nanowires with no artificial pinning potentials. For single vortex domain walls, for both 10% and 1% Gd-doping concentrations, the threshold current density is inversely proportional to the wire width and significantly lower compared to the threshold current density measured for transverse domain walls. On the other hand for high Gd concentrations and large wire widths, double vortex domain walls are formed which require an increase in the threshold current density compared to single vortex domain walls at the same wire width. We suggest that this is due to the coupling of the vortex cores, which are of opposite chirality, and hence will be acted on by opposing forces arising through the spin-transfer torque effect.     

Volume integral equation for analysis of three-dimensional scattering from dielectric frequency-selective structures

The space-domain volume integral equation method is presented for the analysis of three-dimension scattering from dielectric frequency-selective structures involving homogeneous and inhomogeneous lossy materials. The method directly solves for the electric field in order to easily enable the periodic boundary conditions in the spatial domain. The special basis and test functions are introduced to deal with the current continuity in periodic boundaries. The computation of the spatial domain periodic Green’s function (PGF) is accelerated by the modified Ewald transformation, so that a very thick periodic structure can also be analyzed efficiently and accurately. The PGF mentioned above is of free-space type and very smooth and amenable to interpolation. Thus, optimized interpolation procedures for the PGFs can be applied, resulting in a considerable reduction of matrix-filling time without any significant influence on the accuracy. A study of the scattering parameters of a multilayered dielectric periodic structure is accomplished by imposing the boundary conditions in terms of the multimode scattering matrix. Numerical examples show the reliability and accuracy of the proposed method.     

The interaction energy of parallel Bloch walls

The paper gives an exact calculation of the interaction energy of parallel 180° Bloch walls of an unbounded uniaxial ferromagnetic as a function of their distance s and of the external field. The general relation, valid for a periodic domain structure, is specialised for the case of two Bloch walls.The author wishes to thank F. Kroupa and V. Janovec, of the Institute, for their valuable suggestions.     

Anisotropy of domain wall resistance

The resistive effect of domain walls in FePd films with perpendicular anisotropy was studied experimentally as a function of field and temperature. The films were grown directly on MgO substrates, which induces an unusual virgin magnetic configuration composed of 60 nm wide parallel stripe domains. This allowed us to carry out the first measurements of the anisotropy of domain wall resistivity in the two configurations of current perpendicular and parallel to the walls. At 18 K, we find 8.2% and 1.3% for the domain wall magnetoresistance normalized to the wall width (8 nm) in these two respective configurations. These values are consistent with the predictions of Levy and Zhang.     

基于杂质光伏效应的镍掺杂对砷化镓太阳电池性能的影响

利用杂质光伏效应能够使太阳电池充分利用那些能量小于禁带宽度的太阳光子,从而提高电池的转换效率.为了更好地利用杂质光伏效应提高砷化镓太阳电池的转换效率,本文利用数值方法研究在砷化镓太阳电池中掺入镍杂质以形成杂质光伏太阳电池,分析掺镍对电池的短路电流密度、开路电压以及转换效率的影响;同时,探讨电池的陷光结构对杂质光伏太阳电池器件性能的影响.结果表明:利用杂质光伏效应掺入镍杂质能够增加子带光子的吸收,使得电池转换效率提高3.32%;转换效率的提高在于杂质光伏效应使电池的红外光谱响应得到扩展;另外,拥有良好的陷光结构是取得好的杂质光伏效应的关键.由此得出:在砷化镓太阳电池中掺镍形成杂质光伏太阳电池是一种能够提高砷化镓太阳电池转换效率的新方法.     

Periodic current domains in a system of carbon nanotubes

The dynamics of propagation of periodic electromagnetic waves and the current induced by them in a system of carbon nanotubes is investigated. The study is performed on the basis of the analysis of the coupled equations for the classical distribution function of electrons in carbon nanotubes and the Maxwell equations for an electromagnetic field. An effective equation describing the electromagnetic field dynamics is obtained. Periodic changes in the form of an electromagnetic wave during its propagation are revealed. This effect is related to the energy exchange between periodic vibrations with different periods in the system under consideration. The corresponding regions of the current through carbon nanotubes form a regular periodic domain structure. The results of numerical calculations are reported, which make it possible to consider this effect at different problem parameters.     

Domain wall creation in nanostructures driven by a spin-polarized current

We report on current-driven magnetization reversal in nanopillars with elements having perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. Whereas only the two uniform magnetization states are available under the action of a magnetic field, we observed current-induced Bloch domain walls in pillars as small as 50 x 100 nm(2). This domain wall state can be further controlled by current to restore the uniform states. The ability to nucleate and manipulate domain walls by a current gives insight into the reversal mechanisms of small nanoelements and provides new prospects for ultrahigh density spintronic devices.     

Antisymmetric magnetoresistance in magnetic multilayers with perpendicular anisotropy

While magnetoresistance (MR) has generally been found to be symmetric in applied field in nonmagnetic or magnetic metals, we have observed antisymmetric MR in Co/Pt multilayers. Simultaneous domain imaging and transport measurements show that the antisymmetric MR is due to the appearance of domain walls that run perpendicular to both the magnetization and the current, a geometry existing only in materials with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. As a result, the extraordinary Hall effect gives rise to circulating currents in the vicinity of the domain walls that contributes to the MR. The antisymmetric MR and extraordinary Hall effect have been quantitatively accounted for by a theoretical model.     

Magneto resistance due to domain wall scattering and magneto size effect of thin Ni and Co films at low temperatures

Nickel and cobalt films illustrate alternative Bloch lines with cap switches. The strip magnetic domains become zigzag and bubbling cells for Ni and Co films, respectively, under an external field of 1.5 T. The magnetoresistances (MR) for currents parallel (CIW) to the domain walls is 15% less than those of the perpendicular (CPW) case. We also studied the magneto size effect by applying the magnetic field normal to the surface, from which the Sondheimer oscillation appears attributing to periodic striking of the surface for electrons traveling in circular motion on a plane canting to the surface. The experiments can be expressed by the magneto size effect inherited with very small specularity parameters.     

Influence of current on field-driven domain wall motion in permalloy nanowires from time resolved measurements of anisotropic magnetoresistance

The motion of magnetic domain walls in permalloy nanowires is investigated by real-time resistance measurements. The domain wall velocity is measured as a function of the magnetic field in the presence of a current flowing through the nanowire. We show that the current can significantly increase or decrease the domain wall velocity, depending on its direction. These results are understood within a one-dimensional model of the domain wall dynamics which includes the spin transfer torque.     

Symmetry locking and commensurate vortex domain formation in periodic pinning arrays

The spontaneous formation of domains of commensurate vortex patterns near rational fractional matching fields of a periodic pinning array has been investigated with high resolution scanning Hall probe microscopy. We show that domain formation is promoted due to the efficient incorporation of mismatched excess vortices and vacancies at the corners of domain walls, which outweighs the energetic cost of creating them. Molecular dynamics simulations with a generic pinning potential reveal that domains are formed only when vortex-vortex interactions are long range.     

Crossed-ratchet effects for magnetic domain wall motion

We study both experimentally and theoretically the driven motion of domain walls in extended amorphous magnetic films patterned with a periodic array of asymmetric holes. We find two crossed-ratchet effects of opposite sign that change the preferred sense for domain wall propagation, depending on whether a flat or a kinked wall is moving. By solving numerically a simple phi(4) model we show that the essential physical ingredients for this effect are quite generic and could be realized in other experimental systems involving elastic interfaces moving in multidimensional ratchet potentials.     

Positive domain wall resistance of 180 degrees Néel walls in Co thin films

We measured the intrinsic domain wall resistance (DWR) of 180 degrees Ne el walls in a polycrystalline Co thin film deposited on top of a patterned antiferromagnetic CoO template. After field cooling through the CoO blocking temperature, exchange bias induces a spatially modulated coercivity of the Co film, resulting in a periodic domain pattern with 180 degrees Ne el walls. The intrinsic DWR is determined unambiguously by using rotating magnetic fields that result in a reversible creation and annihilation of the Ne el walls. In contrast with earlier reports, the DWR is positive and in agreement with models based on the giant magnetoresistance mechanism. A reliable, quantitative determination of the DWR requires careful numerical evaluation of the anisotropic magnetoresistance effect.     

Theory of current-driven domain wall motion: spin transfer versus momentum transfer

A self-contained theory of the domain wall dynamics in ferromagnets under finite electric current is presented. The current has two effects: one is momentum transfer, which is proportional to the charge current and wall resistivity (rho(w)); the other is spin transfer, proportional to spin current. For thick walls, as in metallic wires, the latter dominates and the threshold current for wall motion is determined by the hard-axis magnetic anisotropy, except for the case of very strong pinning. For thin walls, as in nanocontacts and magnetic semiconductors, the momentum-transfer effect dominates, and the threshold current is proportional to V(0)/rho(w), V0 being the pinning potential.     

Brownian motion in fluctuating periodic potentials

This work deals with the overdamped motion of a particle in a fluctuating one-dimensional periodic potential. If the potential has no inversion symmetry and its fluctuations are asymmetric and correlated in time, a net flow can be generated at finite temperatures. We present results for the stationary current for the case of a piecewise linear potential, especially for potentials being close to the case with inversion symmetry. The aim is to study the stationary current as a function of the potential. Depending on the form of the potential, the current changes sign once or even twice as a function of the correlation time of the potential fluctuations. To explain these current reversals, several mechanisms are proposed. Finally, we discuss to what extent the model is useful to understand the motion of biomolecular motors.