Giant optical splitting in the spin-states assisting a sharp magnetic switching in GdN thin films

Abstract

The spin-states splitting and spin ordering in the band structure of GdN thin films have been studied using optical absorbance spectroscopy and magnetometer. Remarkably, the optical absorbance measurements indicate a giant splitting in the spin-states near-infrared frequency regime, through which the spin-up and spin-down states of the GdN films have been evaluated. Both the spin-up and spin-down states split subsequently wider, which attributes to a combining effect from the nitrogen vacancies, and the population of electronic states pertaining to the spins associated with 4f states of Gd3+ ions. While spin-splitting energy enhances, magnetic-hysteresis loops suggest a sharp magnetic switching feature.