Ferromagnetic Insulator Research Articles

Light-Tunable Surface State and Hybridization Gap in Magnetic Topological Insulator MnBi8Te13.

MnBi8Te13 is an intrinsic ferromagnetic (FM) topological insulator with different complex surface terminations. Resolving the electronic structures of different termination surfaces and manipulation of the electronic state are important. Here, by using micrometer spot time- and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (μ-TrARPES), we resolve the electronic structures and reveal the ultrafast dynamics upon photoexcitation. Photoinduced filling of the surface state hybridization gap is observed for the Bi2Te3 quintuple layer directly above MnBi2Te4 accompanied by a nontrivial shift of the surface state, suggesting light-tunable interlayer interaction. Relaxation of photoexcited electrons and holes is observed within 1-2 ps. Our work reveals photoexcitation as a potential control knob for tailoring the interlayer interaction and surface state of MnBi8Te13.

First-order metal–ferromagnetic insulator phase transition induced by Rashba spin-orbit coupling on the puckered honeycomb lattice

We investigate the first-order metal–ferromagnetic insulator phase transition on the puckered honeycomb lattice, combining the cellular dynamical mean field theory with the continuous-time quantum Monte Carlo method. By analyzing the interplay among intrinsic spin–orbit coupling (SOC), Rashba SOC and on-site interaction, we show that the ferromagnetic (FM) order and the antiferromagnetic (AFM) order occur in different regimes. Rashba SOC allows the electron spin flipping, which leads to the phase transition from the metal to FM insulator induced by the increasing on-site interaction. In contrast to the usual continuous metal–antiferromagnetic insulator phase transition, we find that the metal–ferromagnetic insulator transition is first-order by computing the double occupancy. Furthermore, the complete phase diagrams of the Rashba SOC, on-site interaction and temperature are also demonstrated.

Current transfer torque and Hall conductance at the ferromagnetic topological insulators junction

In-plane magnetization on the surface of three-dimensional topological insulators (3D TIs) tunes the Dirac cone’s location in the k-space. We theoretically show that a normal/ferromagnetic junction on the surface of 3D TIs bends the propagation direction of Dirac fermions when the magnetization has a component perpendicular to the junction. This effect leads to a Hall conductance, which flows parallel to the interface. Also, it creates an indirect gap that manifests itself in the longitudinal conductance of the junction. The sign of Hall conductance is related to the in-plane magnetization direction. Based on this effect, we propose a set up to detect it experimentally. Moreover, this bending effect imposes a torque on the junction called current transfer torque (CTT). We show the z-component of CTT is non-zero in the presence of bending effect. Also, its value and direction that can be used in fabricating new devices are related to the Hall conductance.

Long-range spin transport on the surface of topological Dirac semimetal

We theoretically propose the long-range spin transport mediated by the gapless surface states of topological Dirac semimetal (TDSM). Low-dissipation spin current is a building block of next-generation spintronics devices. While conduction electrons in metals and spin waves in ferromagnetic insulators (FMIs) are the major carriers of spin current, their propagation length is inevitably limited due to the Joule heating or the Gilbert damping. In order to suppress dissipation and realize long-range spin transport, we here make use of the spin-helical surface states of TDSMs, such as $\mathrm{Cd_3 As_2}$ and $\mathrm{Na_3 Bi}$, which are robust against disorder. Based on a junction of two FMIs connected by a TDSM, we demonstrate that the magnetization dynamics in one FMI induces a spin current on the TDSM surface flowing to the other FMI. By both the analytical transport theory on the surface and the numerical simulation of real-time evolution in the bulk, we find that the induced spin current takes a universal semi-quantized value that is insensitive to the microscopic coupling structure between the FMI and the TDSM. We show that this surface spin current is robust against disorder over a long range, which indicates that the TDSM surface serves as a promising system for realizing spintronics devices.

Scaling analysis of magnetic-thermal behaviors in ferromagnetic insulator LaCoO3 thin film

The structure, surface topography and magnetic properties of LaCoO3 (LCO) thin films deposited epitaxially on the SrTiO3 substrates have been investigated in detail. The LCO thin films show a typical ferromagnetic-paramagnetic (FM-PM) phase transition at 78 K. Based on the measurements of isothermal magnetization around the Curie point, the magnetic entropy change (ΔSM) of LCO thin films under various applied magnetic fields were obtained. By utilizing scaling theory, all of the ΔSM curves can be re-scaled, confirming that the FM-PM phase transition is second-order magnetic phase transition. Moreover, the magnetic entropy change -ΔSM features a maximum around TC, whereas, power law fitting of -ΔSMmax with H gives n = 0.9704, which is obviously deviating from the standard value n = 2/3 for the Landau mean field model. This indicates that the mean field theory cannot be used to explain the critical behavior of LCO thin films which implies that the critical behavior of LCO thin films may involve complex magnetic interactions. These interactions are correlated with a long-term puzzling finding in this system why its Curie point is always around 80 K regardless of the different fabrication methods and conditions used in the film growth.

Coexistence of superconductivity and spin-splitting fields in superconductor/ferromagnetic insulator bilayers of arbitrary thickness

Ferromagnetic insulators (FI) can induce a strong exchange field in an adjacent superconductor (S) via the magnetic proximity effect. This manifests as spin splitting of the BCS density of states of the superconductor, an important ingredient for numerous superconducting spintronics applications and the realization of Majorana fermions. A crucial parameter that determines the magnitude of the induced spin splitting in FI/S bilayers is the thickness of the S layer d: In very thin samples, the superconductivity is suppressed by the strong magnetism. By contrast, in very thick samples, the spin splitting is absent at distances away from the interface. In this work, we calculate the density of states and critical exchange field of FI/S bilayers of arbitrary thickness. From here, we determine the range of parameters of interest for applications, where the exchange field and superconductivity coexist. We show that for d>3.0ξs, the paramagnetic phase transition is always of the second order, in contrast to the first-order transition in thinner samples at low temperatures. Here ξs is the superconducting coherence length. Finally, we compare our theory with the tunneling spectroscopy measurements in several EuS/Al/AlOx/Al samples. If the Al film in contact with the EuS is thinner than a certain critical value, we do not observe superconductivity, whereas, in thicker samples, we find evidence of a first-order phase transition induced by an external field. The complete transition is preceded by a regime in which normal and superconducting regions coexist. We attribute this mixed phase to inhomogeneities of the Al film thickness and the presence of superparamagnetic grains at the EuS/Al interface with different switching fields. The steplike evolution of the tunnel-barrier magnetoresistance supports this assumption. Our results demonstrate on the one hand, the important role of the S layer thickness, which is particularly relevant for the fabrication of high-quality samples suitable for applications. On the other hand, the agreement between theory and experiment demonstrates the accuracy of our theory, which, originally developed for homogeneous situations, is generalized to highly inhomogeneous systems.Received 6 January 2021Revised 16 March 2021Accepted 28 April 2021DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevResearch.3.023131Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article's title, journal citation, and DOI.Published by the American Physical SocietyPhysics Subject Headings (PhySH)Research AreasProximity effectSpintronicsSuperconductivityCondensed Matter, Materials & Applied PhysicsInterdisciplinary Physics

Topological charge, spin, and heat transistor

Spin pumping consists in the injection of spin currents into a non-magnetic material due to the precession of an adjacent ferromagnet. In addition to the pumping of spin the precession always leads to pumping of heat, but in the presence of spin-orbital entanglement it also leads to a charge current. We investigate the pumping of charge, spin and heat in a device where a superconductor and a quantum spin Hall insulator are in proximity contact with a ferromagnetic insulator. We show that the device supports two robust operation regimes arising from topological effects. In one regime, the pumped charge, spin and heat are quantized and related to each other due to a topological winding number of the reflection coefficient in the scattering matrix formalism -- translating to a Chern number in the case of Hamiltonian formalism. In the second regime, a Majorana zero mode switches off the pumping of currents owing to the topologically protected perfect Andreev reflection. We show that the interplay of these two topological effects can be utilized so that the device operates as a robust charge, spin and heat transistor.

Cluster spin-glass-like dynamics in Mn-rich La2Ni0.5Mn1.5O6 ferromagnetic insulator

We report on the physical properties of Mn-rich, nonstoichiometric La2Ni0.5Mn1.5O6 ferromagnetic insulator, prepared by sol-gel method. The single-phase orthorhombic Pbnm structure for the compound was confirmed by x-ray diffraction measurements. Dc magnetization measurements revealed a high saturation magnetization of ∼5.95 μ B/f.u. at 5 K, and a ferromagnetic to paramagnetic transition at ∼162 K. Ac magnetic susceptibility measurements confirmed a broad frequency-dependent anomaly at lower temperatures indicating the presence of spin-glass type magnetic interactions. The ac susceptibility data have been discussed within the framework of the critical slowing down model and Vogel–Fulcher law, and confirmed the cluster spin-glass dynamics with a relaxation time of the order of 10−5 s. The valence of Ni and Mn ions was verified from the x-ray absorption near edge structure spectroscopy. The origin of cluster spin-glass state was discussed in terms of several possible magnetic exchange interaction pathways among Ni and Mn ions.

Recent progress in optical dark pulses generation based on saturable absorber materials

Dark pulses are optical structures with fascinating fundamental physics and have a great wealth of optical properties yet to be better explored. Since the earliest demonstration of a dark pulse, its generation was very limited, depending on specific experimental setups for its observation. However, the development of new saturable absorber (SA) materials with exceptional nonlinear optical properties have provided an efficient method for generating dark pulses in fiber laser cavities. In this perspective, this paper presents a review focused on recent progress in optical dark pulses generation based on SA materials. Specifically, materials such as graphene and its oxides, carbon nanotubes, transition metal dichalcogenides, transition metal trichalcogenides, metalloid trichalcogenides, black phosphorus, indium tin oxide, ferroferric oxide, ferromagnetic insulator, graphite oxide, and even glycerin and thulium-doped fiber will be approached here as promising candidates for SA materials. Nonlinear optical properties of these materials, configurations of experimental setups, as well as future perspectives are addressed in this review for the advancements in photonics technologies.

Tunable lateral spin polarization and spin-dependent collimation in velocity-modulated ferromagnetic-gate graphene structures

The influence of spatial variation of Fermi velocity on the spin-polarized transport properties of massless Dirac fermions in proximity-induced ferromagnetic graphene junction was investigated. We found that the velocity ratio ξ causing the width of the spin conductance dip near the Dirac point is broadened as the Fermi velocity ratio increases. In contrast, the effect of the Fermi velocity mismatch does not affect the shifting of the Dirac point. It leads to the indirect measurement of the Fermi velocity ratio that can be tuned by the spin-dependent conductance. In addition to the presence of both the exchange field and the Fermi velocity modulation, we found high spin filtering occurs when the Fermi velocity ratio ξ ≥ 1. Due to the transmission probability of electron with spin down, T↓ is blocked by the effect of Fermi velocity modulation similar to waves travelling through a different media. Moreover, we also found that the resonant transmission of the electron with spin up can be perfectly transmitted through the Fermi velocity barrier at the limit injected angle θ → π/2 for H/EF ≈ 1. The spin transport properties can be controlled by suitably modifying the strength of the ferromagnetic insulator and varying the Fermi velocity modulation, which leads to the highest spin polarization. By manipulating the behavior of spin-dependent collimation and spin beam splitting in this structure, we proposed a spin transport device for making lateral spin polarization. These interesting features will help make the development of spintronic devices in the graphene-based nanostructure.

Correlation driven topological nodal ring ferromagnetic spin gapless semimetal: CsMnF4

The observation of in-plane ferromagnetism in layered magnetic materials in conjunction with the topological nodal-ring dispersion in a spin gapless semimetal with 100 % spin polarization has a fertile ground for novel physics, rich scientific significance and for the next-generation advanced spintronic and topological devices. Topological nodal ring spin gapless semimetals with large band gap in the other spin channel prevents the spin leakage and are excellent spintronic materials. On the basis of density functional theory (DFT), we have studied the layered magnetic perovskite, CsMnF4 which is predicted to be a ferromagnetic insulator though the fellow compounds like AMnF4 (A = Na, K, Rb) are anti-ferromagnetic in nature. DFT + U calculations reveal that this layered system undergoes a transition from an insulating to half-semimetallic nature with decreasing on-site Hubbard Coulomb interaction, U. For U = 2.5 eV, we observe the topological nature in the system with the emergence of four Mexican hat like dispersions associated with band-flipping. Also, we calculated the magneto-crystalline anisotropic energy with inclusion of spin–orbit coupling (SOC) and found that the system consists of in-plane ferromagnetism. Transport properties infer huge anisotropy of one order of magnitude between ’a’ and ’c’ axes. Interestingly, the estimated Fermi velocities are 2.66 × 105 and 2.24 × 105 m s−1 for Z(=0) and Z(=0.5) plane respectively and are comparable to that of graphene, which might fetch applications in high speed spin electronic devices. The topological phase observed is robust to SOC and the band-crossings associated with nodal rings could be preserved by additional symmetry as the time-reversal symmetry breaks in magnetic systems. The nearly charge compensation observed from Fermi surfaces might fetch memory device applications.

Study of magnetic and magnetotransport properties in polycrystalline Pr0.6A′0.2Sr0.2MnO3(A′ [formula omitted]Y, La) compounds: Observation of enhanced electron–electron interaction

A comparative study of magnetic, electrical, and magnetotransport properties for the polycrystalline bulk Pr0.6A′0.2Sr0.2MnO3 (A′ ≡ Y, La) compounds has been presented in this article. The aforementioned ABO3 type perovskite compounds have been prepared with considering the average A-site ionic radius (〈rA〉) located around the phase boundary of the ferromagnetic insulator to ferromagnetic metal ground states of the prepared phase diagram for R0.8AE0.2MnO3 (R ≡ trivalent rare earth cations, AE ≡ divalent cations) compounds as a function of 〈rA〉. The decrease in chemical disorder along with an increase in electronic bandwidth from Y to La doping increases the ferromagnetic transition temperature from 90 K to 175 K, respectively, and also suppresses the resistivity as well as magnetoresistance substantially. The temperature-dependent resistivity curves exhibit the metal–insulator like transitions around 100 K and 200 K for the doping with Y and La, respectively. Moreover, a resistivity minimum at low temperature is also observed for both systems. This behavior is best explained using a model, developed considering the presence of electron–electron elastic scattering or interaction at low temperatures. However, the Y doping system exhibits stronger electron–electron interaction compared to the La doping system, since the previous one accommodates a higher chemical disorder and lower electronic bandwidth.

Two-dimensional ferromagnetic Chern insulator: WSe2 monolayer

Quantum anomalous Hall (QAH) effect presents a promising platform for next generation nano-electronics due to its dissipationless edge states. Unfortunately, until now, QAH materials suitable for practical applications are rare. Based on the first-principles calculations, we found a novel two-dimensional (2D) QAH insulator: WSe2 monolayer. Both the spin-polarized electronic structure and spin-orbit coupling (SOC) of WSe2 contribute to the QAH effect. When SOC is ignored, the WSe2 monolayer is a spin-polarized Dirac half-metal (DHM). Taking SOC into account, a global band gap about 30 meV is opened and the system behaves as an intrinsic Chern insulator with a Curie temperature of 160 K. The non-trivial properties are proved by the nonzero Chern number, quantized anomalous Hall conductivity, and gapless chiral edge states. We expect the material will become a promising candidate for realizing the QAH effect with higher experimental temperature.

Spin-orbit torques and magnetotransport of two-dimensional Dirac electrons without particle-hole symmetry

We study spin-orbit torques and transport properties of Dirac electrons on the surface of ferromagnetic topological insulators. A focus is on the effects of deviation from the ideal Dirac model with linear dispersion, which takes an additional scalar form, quadratic in wave vector, and breaks particle-hole symmetry. This term removes some peculiar features of the linear Dirac model, and, combined with in-plane magnetization, gives rise to in-plane anisotropies. We study in detail the chemical potential dependence of longitudinal/transverse conductivities and reactive/dissipative spin-orbit torques, including the out-of-plane spin polarization. It is found that the in-plane anisotropy is generally stronger for $p$-type carriers than $n$-type carriers (for positive curvature of the quadratic term). It is also found that the in-plane anisotropy of the dissipative spin-orbit torque changes sign across the Dirac point. Because of the similarity of the model, we also study the magnetic Rashba model focusing on its Dirac-like parameter region. In this model, with an in-plane magnetization, a curious discontinuity is found at the Dirac point in the current-induced out-of-plane spin polarization.

Topological superconductivity in tripartite superconductor-ferromagnet-semiconductor nanowires

Motivated by recent experiments searching for Majorana zero modes in tripartite semiconductor nanowires with epitaxial superconductor and ferromagnetic-insulator layers, we explore the emergence of topological superconductivity in such devices for paradigmatic arrangements of the three constituents. Accounting for the competition between magnetism and superconductivity, we treat superconductivity self consistently and describe the electronic properties, including the superconducting and ferromagnetic proximity effects, within a direct wave-function approach. We conclude that the most viable mechanism for topological superconductivity relies on a superconductor-semiconductor-ferromagnet arrangement of the constituents, in which spin splitting and superconductivity are independently induced in the semiconductor by proximity and superconductivity is only weakly affected by the ferromagnetic insulator.

Electrical transport properties driven by magnetic competition in hole-doped perovskite Pr1-xBaxMnO3 (0.25 ≤ x ≤ 0.36)

In this work, polycrystalline Pr1-xBaxMnO3 (0.25 ≤ x ≤ 0.36) ceramics were synthesized, and their magnetic and electrical transport properties were systematically studied. All samples show two metal-insulator transitions (MITs) corresponding to the high temperature TMI1 and low temperature TMI2, respectively, besides the non-Griffith phase above the ferromagnetic (FM) transition temperature TC. Combining the results of the transport and magnetic properties, it is found that the FM transition temperature TC coincides with the temperature TMI1, which is linearly related to the A-site ionic radius mismatch variance σ2, indicating the enhancement of FM interactions due to the increase of the degree of B-site ordering of Mn3+/Mn4+ ions. The positive correlation between ferromagnetic insulators (FMI) and magnetic interactions, including the FM and short-range antiferromagnetic (AFM) interactions, is confirmed. It is suggested that the first MIT at TMI1 is attributed to the Mn3+/Mn4+ double exchange interactions and the second MIT at TMI2 is closely related to the suppression of the AFM interactions under the internal FM field induced by the Mn3+/Mn4+ DE interactions. This work provides not only a theoretical understanding on the origin of MIT at low temperature, but also a new way for adjusting the FMI in perovskite manganese oxide Pr1-xBaxMnO3 for application.

Spin and Valley Filter Based on Two-Dimensional WSe2 Heterostructures

In this work, we investigate the spin and valley transport properties of a $\mathrm{W}{\mathrm{Se}}_{2}$ monolayer placed on top of a ferromagnetic insulator. We are interested in controlling the transport properties by applying external potentials to the system. To obtain spin and valley polarizations, we consider a single- and a double-barrier structure with gate potentials. We analyze how the efficiency of these polarized transport properties depends on the gate-potential intensities and geometrical configurations. Additionally, we investigate how the spin and valley transport properties are modified when an ac potential is applied to the system. We obtain a controllable modulation of the spin and valley polarizations as a function of the intensity and frequency of the ac potential, mainly in the terahertz range. These results validate the proposal of double quantum well structures of $\mathrm{W}{\mathrm{Se}}_{2}$ as candidates to provide spin- and valley-dependent transport within an optimal geometrical parameter regime.

Superconductivity-enhanced spin pumping: Role of Andreev resonances

We describe a simple hybrid superconductor--ferromagnetic-insulator structure manifesting spin-resolved Andreev bound states in which dynamic magnetization is employed to probe spin related physics. We show that, at low bias and below ${T}_{c}$, the transfer of spin angular momentum pumped by an externally driven ferromagnetic insulator is greatly affected by the formation of spin-resolved Andreev bound states. Our results indicate that these bound states capture the essential physics of condensate-facilitated spin flow. For finite thicknesses of the superconducting layer, comparable to the coherence length, resonant Andreev bound states render highly transmitting subgap spin transport channels. We point out that the resonant enhancement of the subgap transport channels establishes a prototype Fabry-P\'erot resonator for spin pumping.

Dimensional transformation of chemical bonding during crystallization in a layered chalcogenide material

Two-dimensional (2D) van der Waals (vdW) materials possess a crystal structure in which a covalently-bonded few atomic-layer motif forms a single unit with individual motifs being weakly bound to each other by vdW forces. Cr2Ge2Te6 is known as a 2D vdW ferromagnetic insulator as well as a potential phase change material for non-volatile memory applications. Here, we provide evidence for a dimensional transformation in the chemical bonding from a randomly bonded three-dimensional (3D) disordered amorphous phase to a 2D bonded vdW crystalline phase. A counterintuitive metastable “quasi-layered” state during crystallization that exhibits both “long-range order and short-range disorder” with respect to atomic alignment clearly distinguishes the system from conventional materials. This unusual behavior is thought to originate from the 2D nature of the crystalline phase. These observations provide insight into the crystallization mechanism of layered materials in general, and consequently, will be useful for the realization of 2D vdW material-based functional nanoelectronic device applications.

Spin cat states in ferromagnetic insulators

Generating non-classical states in macroscopic systems is a long standing challenge. A promising platform in the context of this quest are novel hybrid systems based on magnetic dielectrics, where photons can couple strongly and coherently to magnetic excitations, although a non-classical state therein is yet to be observed. We propose a scheme to generate a magnetization cat state, i.e. a quantum superposition of two distinct magnetization directions, using a conventional setup of a macroscopic ferromagnet in a microwave cavity. Our scheme uses the ground state of an ellipsoid shaped magnet, which displays anisotropic quantum fluctuations akin to a squeezed vacuum. The magnetization collapses to a cat state by either a single-photon or a parity measurement of the microwave cavity state. We find that a cat state with two components separated by $\sim5\hbar$ is feasible and briefly discuss potential experimental setups that can achieve it.