Magnetic structure

About: Magnetic structure is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 10787 publications have been published within this topic receiving 207143 citations.

Spin coupling in engineered atomic structures.

Abstract: We used a scanning tunneling microscope to probe the interactions between spins in individual atomic-scale magnetic structures. Linear chains of 1 to 10 manganese atoms were assembled one atom at a time on a thin insulating layer, and the spin excitation spectra of these structures were measured with inelastic electron tunneling spectroscopy. We observed excitations of the coupled atomic spins that can change both the total spin and its orientation. Comparison with a model spin-interaction Hamiltonian yielded the collective spin configuration and the strength of the coupling between the atomic spins.

Magnetic vortex oscillator driven by d.c. spin-polarized current

Abstract: Transfer of angular momentum from a spin-polarized current to a ferromagnet provides an efficient means to control the magnetization dynamics of nanomagnets. A peculiar consequence of this spin torque, the ability to induce persistent oscillations in a nanomagnet by applying a d.c. current, has previously been reported only for spatially uniform nanomagnets. Here, we demonstrate that a quintessentially non-uniform magnetic structure, a magnetic vortex, isolated within a nanoscale spin-valve structure, can be excited into persistent microwave-frequency oscillations by a spin-polarized d.c. current. Comparison with micromagnetic simulations leads to identification of the oscillations with a precession of the vortex core. The oscillations, which can be obtained in essentially zero magnetic field, exhibit linewidths that can be narrower than 300 kHz at ∼1.1 GHz, making these highly compact spin-torque vortex-oscillator devices potential candidates for microwave signal-processing applications, and a powerful new tool for fundamental studies of vortex dynamics in magnetic nanostructures.

Geometric, electronic, and magnetic structure of Co2FeSi: Curie temperature and magnetic moment measurements and calculations

Abstract: In this work a simple concept was used for a systematic search for materials with high spin polarization It is based on two semiempirical models First, the Slater-Pauling rule was used for estimation of the magnetic moment This model is well supported by electronic structure calculations The second model was found particularly for ${\mathrm{Co}}_{2}$ based Heusler compounds when comparing their magnetic properties It turned out that these compounds exhibit seemingly a linear dependence of the Curie temperature as function of the magnetic moment Stimulated by these models, ${\mathrm{Co}}_{2}\mathrm{FeSi}$ was revisited The compound was investigated in detail concerning its geometrical and magnetic structure by means of x-ray diffraction, x-ray absorption, and M\"ossbauer spectroscopies as well as high and low temperature magnetometry The measurements revealed that it is, currently, the material with the highest magnetic moment $(6{\ensuremath{\mu}}_{B})$ and Curie temperature (1100 K) in the classes of Heusler compounds as well as half-metallic ferromagnets The experimental findings are supported by detailed electronic structure calculations

Representation analysis of magnetic structures

Abstract: In the analysis of spin structures a `natural' point of view looks for the set of symmetry operations which leave the magnetic structure invariant and has led to the development of magnetic or Shubnikov groups. A second point of view presented here simply asks for the transformation properties of a magnetic structure under the classical symmetry operations of the 230 conventional space groups and allows one to assign irreducible representations of the actual space group to all known magnetic structures. The superiority of representation theory over symmetry invariance under Shubnikov groups is already demonstrated by the fact proven here that the only invariant magnetic structures describable by magnetic groups belong to real one-dimensional representations of the 230 space groups. Representation theory on the other hand is richer because the number of representations is infinite, i.e. it can deal not only with magnetic structures belonging to one-dimensional real representations, but also with those belonging to one-dimensional complex and even to two-dimensional and three-dimensional representations associated with any k vector in or on the first Brillouin zone. We generate from the transformation matrices of the spins a representation Γ of the space group which is reducible. We find the basis vectors of the irreducible representations contained in Γ. The basis vectors are linear combinations of the spins and describe the structure. The method is first applied to the k = 0 case where magnetic and chemical cells are identical and then extended to the case where magnetic and chemical cells are different (k ≠ 0) with special emphasis on k vectors lying on the surface of the first Brillouin zone in non-symmorphic space groups. As a specific example we consider several methods of finding the two-dimensional irreducible representations and its basis vectors associated with k = ½ b2 = [0½0] in space group Pbnm (D162h). We illustrate the physical context of representation theory by constructing an effective spin Hamiltonian H invariant under the crystallographic space group and under spin reversal. H is even in the spins and automatically invariant under the (isomorphous) magnetic group. We show by the example of CoO that the invariants in H, formed with the help of basis vectors, give information on the nature of spin coupling as for instance isotropic (Heisenberg–Neel) coupling, vectorial (Dzialoshinski–Moriya) and anisotropic symmetric couplings. Magnetic structures, cited in the text to show the implications of the representation theory of space groups are ErFeO3, ErCrO3, TbFeO3, TbCrO3, DyCrO3, YFeO3, V2CaO4, β-CoSO4, Er2O3, CoO and RMn2O5 (R = Bi, Y or rare earth). Representation theory of magnetic groups must be considered when the Hamiltonian contains terms which are odd in the spins. The case may occur when the magnetic energy is coupled with other forms of energy as for instance in the field of magneto-electricity. Here again representation theory correctly predicts the couplings between magnetic and electric polarizations as shown on LiCoPO4 and (previously) on FeGaO3.