Microscopic nature of ferro- and antiferromagnetic interface coupling of uncompensated magnetic moments in exchange bias systems

Exchange bias in layered CoO/Fe structures is investigated by x-ray resonant magnetic reflectivity (XRMR) measurements. Element-specific hysteresis loops are obtained from x-ray magnetic circular dichroism effects in the XRMR spectra. Evidence is provided for the existence of different types of uncompensated moments in the antiferromagnetic material. Explanations are given for the microscopic nature of these moments and the complex exchange interactions that determine the magnetization reversal in exchange bias systems.     

Quantum topological transitions and spinons in metallic ferro- and antiferromagnets

An effective Hamiltonian describing fluctuation effects in the magnetic phases of the Hubbard model in terms of spinon excitations is derived. A comparison of spin-rotational Kotliar–Ruckenstein slave boson and Ribeiro–Wen dopon representations is performed. The quantum transition into the half-metallic ferromagnetic state with vanishing of spin-down Fermi surface is treated as the topological Lifshitz transition in the quasimomentum space. The itinerant-localized magnetism transitions and Mott transition in antiferromagnetic state are considered in the topological context. Related metal-insulator transitions in Heusler alloys are discussed.     

Observation of ferro- and antiferromagnetic domains in the Europium-Chalcogenides

Single crystals of the Eu-Chalcogenides show a scattering of light and a depolarization of polarized light at temperatures below the Curie- or Néel point, respectively, due to the existence of magnetic domains. These domains could be observed with a polarizing microscope. In antiferromagnetic EuSe (between 3.5° and 4.6°K), domains exist with optically active axes along the 6 [100] directions. The domain size in ferromagnetic EuS was at the limit of the resolution of the microscope. However, by applying a magnetic field larger domains were obtained. The direction of the magnetization within the domains is stabilized by internal stress. Due to the strong dichroism of the Eu-Chalcogenides, domains could be observed with only one polarizing unit.Busch, Junod andWachter [1, 2] have found a large red-shift of the absorption edge with the magnetization. By means of this effect domains with different magnetizations could be observed without any polarizer due to their different absorption.     

Induced moment magnetism in TbAsO4: Constant coupling approximation

The constant-coupling approximation (CCA) is applied to the Ising model with a transverse field which is then used to study the induced-moment magnetism in TbAsO₄. We first show that in contrast to previous work, the CCA is valid throughout the entire temperature range; there exist no anomalies at low temperatures. A comparison of the phase boundaries in the Δ (transverse field)-T plane as predicted by the molecular-field approximation (MFA), CCA, and the high temperature series expansion (HTE), shows that the CCA predicts a transition temperature which is much closer to the HTE value for all Δ. The temperature dependence of the sublattice magnetization is also shown for the CCA and the MFA. A fitting to the experimentally observed energy level splitting is shown for TbAsO₄. By using a single parameter, the exchange integral, a good agreement is found between the theory and the experiment for the whole range of temperature.     

Extended random phase approximation for layered copper oxides antiferromagnets

The role of interlayer coupling constant on the Néel temperature of layered copper oxides and other magnetic properties have been studied. The theoretical framework is based on anisotropic Heisenberg model and the two sublattice approach. The higher-order Green functions are decoupled using the second random phase approximation. The Green’s function related to the localized spin correlation functions has been exploited. A self consistent expression for the sublattice magnetization and a corrected form for the Néel temperature are obtained. The free-spin-wave results are obtained under a specific approximation. The theoretical results are compared with that of the random phase approximation and existing experimental results.     

Spin configurations in hexagonal antiferromagnets with competing interactions

The ordered phase of the most part of ABX₃ antiferromagnets appears as a stacking of 120°-three sublattice spin layers with alternate spin direction along thec-axis. This configuration is easy to be explained because it is the minimum energy configuration of the Heisenberg hexagonal model with nearest neighbour antiferromagnetic interaction. However we show that moderate competitive interactions between in plane next nearest and third nearest neighbours stabilize incommensurate spin configurations. This gives some insight into the unexplained spin configuration observed in RbMnBr₃ by elastic neutron scattering experiment.     

Exact and model operators for magnon-phonon interactions in antiferromagnets

A theoretical study is given of magnon-phonon interactions in antiferromagnetic materials. The roles of magnons and phonons as heat carriers and as sources of thermal resistance have been taken into consideration. The exact collision operator which represents the magnon-phonon interactions involved in the transport Boltzmann equations has been replaced by a model operator which possesses the same important properties. The effect of other scattering processes that either phonons or magnons are involved has also been investigated. A new expression for the thermal conductivity has been derived. It includes terms which represent both Normal and Umklapp magnon-phonon processes. The results obtained by using the new expression agree quantitatively with the experimental measurements on Fe Cl₂     

Phase transitions in the two-dimensional ferro- and antiferromagnetic potts models on a triangular lattice

The phase transitions in the two-dimensional ferro- and antiferromagnetic Potts models with q = 3 states of spin on a triangular lattice are studied using cluster algorithms and the classical Monte Carlo method. Systems with linear sizes L = 20–120 are considered. The method of fourth-order Binder cumulants and histogram analysis are used to discover that a second-order phase transition occurs in the ferromagnetic Potts model and a first-order phase transition takes place in the antiferromagnetic Potts model. The static critical indices of heat capacity (α), magnetic susceptibility (γ), magnetization (β), and correlation radius index (ν) are calculated for the ferromagnetic Potts model using the finite-size scaling theory.     

Influence of the spin-orbital interaction on the kinetic properties of ferro- and antiferromagnetic alloys

The s-d(f) exchange model is used to estimate the influence of the spin-orbital interaction on the kinetic coefficients of binary ferro- and antiferromagnetic alloys, including the electric and thermal resistivities and the thermo-electromotive force.Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 5, pp. 21–28, May, 1972.     

Spin-flop ordering from frustrated ferro- and antiferromagnetic interactions: a combined theoretical and experimental study of a Mn/Fe(100) monolayer

The occurrence of a noncollinear magnetic structure at a Mn monolayer grown epitaxially on Fe(100) is predicted theoretically, using spinor density-functional theory, and observed experimentally, using x-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) and linear dichroism (XMLD) spectroscopies. The combined use of XMCD and XMLD at the Mn-absorption edge allows us to assess the existence of ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic order at the interface, and also to determine the moment orientations with element specificity. The experimental results thus obtained are in excellent agreement with the magnetic structure determined theoretically.     

Spin dynamics for 2d Heisenberg antiferromagnets with combined easy-plane and Dzyaloshinsky interactions

We investigate the spin dynamics of the classical two-dimensional easy-plane Heisenberg antiferromagnet with an additional Dzyaloshinsky interaction, which serves as a simple model for Langmuir-Blodgett films of Mn (C₁₈H₃₅O₂)₂. By mapping the system onto a pure easy-plane model we discuss the corresponding spin wave and vortex dynamics. The additional Dzyaloshinsky interaction forces all spins to cant in a certain direction, which is the same for neighboring spins on different sublattices. This canting causes the presence of a second spin wave peak in the dynamical in-plane correlation function below the Kosterlitz-Thouless transition temperature T_KT and a second vortex central peak above T_KT. Using a vortex gas approach we explicitly calculate the contribution of the free vortices to several dynamical correlation functions. These results are compared to a combined Monte Carlo-Molecular Dynamics simulation on square lattices with different sizes. We also discuss the relevance of this simple model for describing the spin dynamics of Mn (C₁₈H₃₅O₂)₂.     

Exact groundstates for antiferromagnetic spin-one chains with nearest and next-nearest neighbour interactions

We have found the exact ground state for a large class of antiferromagnetic spin-one chains with nearest and next-nearest neighbour interactions. The ground state is characterized as a matrix product of local site states and has the properties characteristic of the Haldane scenario.Work performed within the research program of the Sonderforschungsbereich 341, Köln-Aachen-Jülich     

Space-time parity violation and magnetoelectric interactions in antiferromagnets

The properties of antiferromagnetic materials with violated space-time parity are considered. Particular attention is given to the bismuth ferrite BiFeO₃ ferroelectric magnet. This material is distinguished from other antiferromagnets in that the inversion center is absent in its crystal and magnetic structures. This circumstance gives rise to diversified and unusual properties, namely, to the appearance of a spatially modulated spin structure and to the unique possibility of the linear magnetoelectric effect coexisting with a weak ferromagnetic moment. The magnetic-induced phase transitions accompanied by the suppression of the modulated spin structure and appearance of a number of new and unusual effects are considered. These are the linear magnetoelectric effect and the appearance of a toroidal moment and a weak ferromagnetic moment of the magnetoelectric nature.     

Phase transition in antiferromagnets with anisotropic exchange interactions and uniaxial anisotropy

Abstract

Following the Bogoliubov variational principle, the equilibrium and stability equations of the free energy for the two sublattice antiferromagnetic system with inter- and intrasublattice exchange interactions and with an external magnetic field are investigated. For the Ising spin system with uniaxial anisotropy, the phase diagrams have been calculated for various values of anisotropy constant d and the ratio of intra- to intersublattice interaction constants γ. It is shown that first-order, as well as second-order transitions, occur for γ > 0, whereas only a second-order transition occurs for γ ≦ 0, irrespective of the sign of d. Furthermore, similar calculations are extended for the anisotropic Heisenberg spin system and quite interesting phase diagrams have been obtained. Next, the effects of the anisotropic exchange interactions on the magnetic ordered states and the magnetizations of the singlet ground state system of spin one and with a uniaxial anisotropy term are investigated in the vicinity of the level crossing field H ? D/gμ _B . A field-induced ordered state without the transverse component of magnetization is shown to appear in a certain range of magnetic field as the spin dimensionality decreases. It has also turned out that the phase transition between this ordered state and the canted antiferromagnetic state ordinarily found for the isotropic singlet ground state system is of first order. Lastly, the stable spin configurations at a temperature of absolute zero for a two-sublattice uniaxial antiferromagnet under an external magnetic field of arbitrary direction are studied. In particular, the effects of a single ionic anisotropy D-term and anisotropy in the exchange interactions on the magnetic phases are investigated. The antiferromagnetic state has turned out to appear only for the external magnetic field along the easy axis of sublattice magnetization, and makes a first-order phase transition to the canted-spin state or the ferromagnetic state. For other field directions, no antiferromagnetic state appears and only a second-order phase transition between the canted-spin and the ferromagnetic states occurs. The critical field as a function of external field direction has been calculated for several D-values.     

Magnetostatic surface waves of lateral-magnetic superlattices with antiferromagnetic coupling

We calculate the magnetostatic surface mode of a lateral-magnetic superlattice, with an antiferromagnetic interlayer coupling, which is described with an effective medium theory. We find analytically that there is a critical value of the external field for the surface mode, and there are some interesting properties from the frequency of the surface mode as a function of the propagation angle and external field.     

Dynamic magnetic behavior of the mixed spin （2, 5/2） Ising system with antiferromagnetic/antiferromagnetic interactions on a bilayer square lattice

Using the mean-field theory and Glauber-type stochastic dynamics, we study the dynamic magnetic properties of the mixed spin （2, 5/2） Ising system for the antiferromagnetic/antiferromagnetic （AFM/AFM） interactions on the bilayer square lattice under a time varying （sinusoidal） magnetic field. The time dependence of average magnetizations and the thermal variation of the dynamic magnetizations are examined to calculate the dynamic phase diagrams. The dynamic phase diagrams are presented in the reduced temperature and magnetic field amplitude plane and the effects of interlayer coupling interaction on the critical behavior of the system are investigated. We also investigate the influence of the frequency and find that the system displays richer dynamic critical behavior for higher values of frequency than that of the lower values of it. We perform a comparison with the ferromagnetic/ferromagnetic （FM/FM） and AFM/FM interactions in order to see the effects of AFM/AFM interaction and observe that the system displays richer and more interesting dynamic critical behaviors for the AFM/AFM interaction than those for the FM/FM and AFM/FM interactions.     

Exchange coupling of bilayers and synthetic antiferromagnets pinned to MnPt

Exchange bias and blocking temperature were studied in MnPt based bottom-pinned bilayers and synthetic antiferromagnets (SAF) prepared by magnetron sputtering. The structure and magnetic properties were determined as a function of the MnPt layer thickness. Exchange coupling was found to be (Jex = 0.4 erg/cm2) for a MnPt (t ≤20 nm)/CoFe (5 nm) bilayer. The distribution of the blocking temperature TB was analyzed and its width ΔTB and center point TB,center determined. TB is about 280 ○C for thinner MnPt films, and increases to 330 °C for thick films. ΔT B is constant for thick MnPt but steadily increases as the thickness decreases. SAF structures show higher exchange bias and higher TB,center at thin layer thickness (tMnPt = 8.5 nm) compared to bilayers.     

Electron-hole symmetry and magnetic coupling in antiferromagnetic LaFeAsO

When either electron or hole doped at concentrations x approximately 0.1, the LaFeAsO family displays remarkably high temperature superconductivity with Tc up to 55 K. In the most energetically stable Q-->M=(pi,pi,0) antiferromagnetic (AFM) phase comprised of tetragonal-symmetry breaking alternating chains of aligned spins, there is a deep pseudogap in the Fe 3d states centered at the Fermi energy arising from light carriers (m* approximately 0.25-0.33), and very strong magnetophonon coupling is uncovered. Doping (of either sign) beyond x approximately 0.08 results in heavy carriers per Fe (by roughly an order of magnitude) with a large Fermi surface. Calculated Fe-Fe transverse exchange couplings Jij(R) reveal that exchange coupling is strongly dependent on both the AFM symmetry and on the Fe-As distance.     

Generalized rotating-wave approximation for arbitrarily large coupling

A generalized version of the rotating-wave approximation for the single-mode spin-boson Hamiltonian is presented. It is shown that performing a simple change of basis prior to eliminating the off-resonant terms results in a significantly more accurate expression for the energy levels of the system. The generalized approximation works for all values of the coupling strength and for a wide range of detuning values, and may find applications in solid-state experiments.