Magnetic State Research Articles

Observation of Circular Dichroism Induced by Electronic Chirality.

Chiral phases of matter, characterized by a definite handedness, abound in nature, ranging from the crystal structure of quartz to spiraling spin states in helical magnets. In 1T-TiSe_{2} a source of chirality has been proposed that stands apart from these classical examples as it arises from combined electronic charge and quantum orbital fluctuations. This may allow its chirality to be accessed and manipulated without imposing either structural or magnetic handedness. However, direct bulk evidence that broken inversion symmetry and chirality are intrinsic to TiSe_{2} remains elusive. Here, employing resonant elastic x-ray scattering technique, we reveal the presence of circular dichroism, i.e., polarization dependence of the resonant diffraction intensity, up to ∼40% at forbidden Bragg peaks that emerge at the charge and orbital ordering transition. The dichroism varies dramatically with incident energy and azimuthal angle. Comparison to calculated scattering intensities traces its origin to bulk chiral electronic order in TiSe_{2} and establishes resonant elastic x-ray scattering as a sensitive probe to electronic chirality.

Magnetic Excitations in Ferromagnetically Coupled Spin-1 Nanographenes.

In the pursuit of high-spin building blocks for the formation of covalently bonded 1D or 2D materials with controlled magnetic interactions, -electron magnetism offers an ideal framework to engineer ferromagnetic interactions between nanographenes. As a first step in this direction, we explore the spin properties of ferromagnetically coupled triangulenes-triangular nanographenes with spin . By combining in-solution synthesis of rationally designed molecular precursors with on-surface synthesis, we successfully achieve covalently bonded triangulene dimers and trimers on Au(111). Starting with the triangulene dimer, we meticulously characterize its low-energy magnetic excitations using inelastic electron tunneling spectroscopy (IETS). IETS reveals conductance steps corresponding to a quintet-to-triplet excitation, and a zero-bias peak resulting from higher-order spin-spin scattering of the five-fold degenerate ferromagnetic ground state. The Heisenberg model captures the key parameters of inter-triangulene ferromagnetic exchange, and its successful extension to the larger system validates the model's accuracy. We anticipate that incorporating ferromagnetically coupled building blocks into the repertoire of magnetic nanographenes will unlock new possibilities for designing carbon nanomaterials with complex magnetic ground states.

Stability and evolution of skyrmionium and skyrmions in a spherical shell

The study of magnetic structures, particularly those with curved geometries such as spherical shells, has obtained significant interest due to their potential applications in data storage, spintronics, and other advanced technologies. However, the effects of material parameters, geometric dimensions, and magnetic fields on the equilibrium and induced behaviors of skyrmions remain largely unresolved. Here, based on micromagnetic simulations, we firstly investigate the influence of spherical shell dimensions, magnetic anisotropy, exchange interaction, and Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction on the magnetic states of spherical shells. We find that curvature effects become more pronounced with increasing thickness and decreasing radius, providing evidence for the role of curvature-induced DMI-like interactions in skyrmion formation. Additionally, we observe that applying a magnetic field to the spherical shell induces behaviors similar to those in disks, including the topological transition between skyrmionium and skyrmion states, the annihilation of skyrmions, and polarity reversal. Our study aims to advance the understanding of magnetic phenomena in curved geometries and contribute to the development of novel magnetic devices.

Influence of Photon Subsystem on the Magnetic Properties of Quantum Gases

The possibility for the photon component to affect the magnetic properties of a system of quantum gases of two-level atoms staying in thermodynamic equilibrium with radiation (photons) has been studied. A corresponding simple model has been proposed, which enabled the general equations describing the thermodynamic equilibrium in this system to be derived. The resulting equations are solved in the temperature interval far from the degeneracy temperatures of all three system components. The analysis of the solutions testified to a non-trivial behavior of the system’s magnetic state as a response to changes in the photon density and the intensity of the external magnetic field. It is shown that the growth of the photon density induced in the system by external sources can increase both system’s magnetization and the density of excited atoms. Such a conclusion is not trivial a priori given the fact that photons in the vacuum have no magnetic moment.

Investigation of magnetic domain interactions and switching mechanism in sputter deposited Fe–Co–Al thin film

To create a high-density data storage system, a thorough understanding of magnetic domain interactions is essential. In this work, we present a systematic study of magnetic domain state interaction and switching mechanism of Fe–Co–Al films across various thicknesses. Structural analysis confirms the formation of an A2-type disorder structure. Magnetic investigation reveals that all films are soft magnetic in nature, exhibiting a predominant in-plane magnetic anisotropy with a low coercive field that increases from 1.9 mT to 3 mT as the film thickness grows from 5 nm to 25 nm. Analysis of first-order reversal curves reveals the formation of multi-domain (MD) states. An enhancement of magnetic domain interactions occurs as the contour graph shifts along the coercive field direction with an increase in film thickness. Switching field distribution (SFD) analysis reveals broader SFD curves, indicating more inter-grain interactions as magnetostatic interactions between magnetic grains intensify with thickness. Further, magnetic force microscopy analysis confirms the presence of MD structures in all films. Magnetization reversal dynamics elucidates domain wall pinning near to zero field and possesses a large out-of-plane switching field. Simulations are performed to corroborate experimental findings. These findings underscore the critical role of domain state configuration and switching mechanisms for designing spintronic devices using soft magnetic thin films.

Quantum embedding method with transformer neural network quantum states for strongly correlated materials

The neural-network quantum states (NNQS) method is rapidly emerging as a powerful tool in quantum mechanisms. While significant advancements have been achieved in simulating simple molecules using NNQS, the ab initio simulation of complex solid-state materials remains challenging. Here in this work, we have adopted the periodic density matrix embedding theory to extend the NNQS method to deal with complex solid-state systems. Our approach notably reduces the computational problem size while maintaining high accuracy. We have validated the accuracy and efficiency of our method against traditional methodologies and experimental data in extended systems, and have investigated the magnetic ordering and charge density wave state in transition metal compounds. The findings from our research indicate that the integration of quantum embedding with intuitive chemical fragmentation can significantly enhance the NNQS simulation of realistic materials.

Antiferromagnetic to ferromagnetic phase transition as a transition to partial ordered spins. Application to La1−xCaxMnO3 in the doping range x ≥ 0.50

Magnetic state is a partial ordered state if only part of the electrons in the system give contribution to the magnetic order. We study Heisenberg model of two sublattice spin system, on the body-centered cubic lattice, with antiferromagnetic nearest neighbors exchange of sublattice A and B spins and two different ferromagnetic exchange constants for sublattice A (JA) and B (JB) spins. When JA>JB the system undergoes transition from paramagnetism to ferromagnetism at Curie temperature TC. Only the sublattice A spins give contribution to the magnetization of the system. Upon cooling, the system possesses ferromagnetism to antiferromagnetism transition at Néel temperature TN<TC. Below TN sublattice A and B electrons give contribution to the magnetization. The transition is a partial ordered transition. There is thermodynamic evidence for this transition in the magnetic specific heat of the system. As a function of temperature there are two maxima. At high temperature TC it is λ-type. At lower temperature TN it characterizes the transition from ferromagnetism to antiferromagnetism. As an example of ferromagnetism to antiferromagnetism partial ordered transition we consider the material La1−xCaxMnO3 in the doping range x≥0.50. Our calculations reproduce the experimental magnetization-temperature curve.

Spin Hall-induced bilinear magnetoelectric resistance.

Magnetoresistance is a fundamental transport phenomenon that is essential for reading the magnetic states for various information storage, innovative computing and sensor devices. Recent studies have expanded the scope of magnetoresistances to the nonlinear regime, such as a bilinear magnetoelectric resistance (BMER), which is proportional to both electric field and magnetic field. Here we demonstrate that the BMER is a general phenomenon that arises even in three-dimensional systems without explicit momentum-space spin textures. Our theory suggests that the spin Hall effect enables the BMER provided that the magnitudes of spin accumulation at the top and bottom interfaces are not identical. The sign of the BMER follows the sign of the spin Hall effect of heavy metals, thereby evidencing that the BMER originates from the bulk spin Hall effect. Our observation suggests that the BMER serves as a general nonlinear transport characteristic in three-dimensional systems, especially playing a crucial role in antiferromagnetic spintronics.

Magnetization and phase transformation in Fe-Ga and Fe-Ge alloys

The magnetic properties and structural states of Fe-Ga and Fe-Ge alloys, known for their large magnetostriction, have been investigated. Experimental characterizations are supported by ab initio calculations and Monte Carlo simulations to reveal the complex interplay between magnetic properties and structural changes. Our findings are in agreement with previous investigations and show that the Curie temperature (TC) of these alloys changes gradually with increasing alloying element concentration while the A2 solid solution is being realized. Further alloying of Fe-Ga leads to the transition from a single-phase to a two-phase A2 + D03 state and results in two distinct TC values. At the same time Fe-Ge shows a more complex behavior with several phase transitions influencing the magnetic ordering temperatures. Theoretical calculations suggest a significant correlation between the magnetic moments, exchange interactions, and observed TC trends. It is shown that the D03 phase is characterized by the lowest TC among other phases. Using Monte Carlo simulations, we found that in ferromagnetic state of Fe-Ge alloy the D03 ordering develops homogeneously, while in Fe-Ga it follows a nucleation and growth scenario.

Discovering Classical Spin Liquids by Topological Search of High Symmetry Nets.

Spin liquids are a paradigmatic example of a nontrivial state of matter. The search for new spin liquids is a key interdisciplinary challenge. Geometrical frustration-where the geometry of the net that the spins occupy precludes the generation of a simple ordered state-is a particularly fruitful way to generate these intrinsically disordered states. Prior focus has been on a handful of high symmetry nets. There are, however, many three-dimensional nets, each of which has the potential to form unique states. In this paper, we investigate the high symmetry nets-those which are both vertex- and edge-transitive-for the simplest possible interaction sets: nearest-neighbor couplings of antiferromagnetic Heisenberg and Ising spins. While the well-known crs (pyrochlore) net is the only nearest-neighbor Heisenberg antiferromagnet which does not order, we identify two new frustrated nets (lcx and thp) possessing finite temperature Heisenberg spin-liquid states with strongly suppressed magnetic ordering and noncollinear ground states. With Ising spins, we identify three new classical spin liquids that do not order down to T/J = 0.01. We highlight materials that contain these high symmetry nets, and which could, if substituted with appropriate magnetic ions, potentially host these unusual states. Our systematic survey will guide searches for novel magnetic phases.

Effective control of magnetism and transport properties of monolayer WV2N4 with two magnetic atomic layers and its van der Waals heterostructure

The large magneto-resistance (MR) effect produced by electric control of the magnetic state for van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures composed of vdW intrinsic magnets holds great significance for low-dissipation spintronic devices. Our first-principles calculations reveal that the proposed monolayer WV2N4 is a ferromagnetic (FM) metal with two magnetic V atomic layers, and the interlayer magnetic coupling between two V atomic layers can be switched from FM to antiferromagnetic coupling by applying a small compressive strain. Interestingly, a large MR ratio of 253% is achieved in the proposed graphite/monolayer WV2N4/graphite vdW heterostructure using a −1.5% compressive strain. Combining the strain-induced change in magnetism of monolayer WV2N4 and the graphite/monolayer WV2N4/graphite vdW heterostructure with the inverse piezoelectricity of piezoelectric materials, a feasible strategy is proposed to achieve electric control of the interlayer magnetic coupling of monolayer WV2N4 in the graphite/monolayer WV2N4/graphite vdW heterostructure clamped by piezoelectric materials by utilizing the inverse piezoelectricity, thereby generating a large MR ratio in the graphite/monolayer WV2N4/graphite vdW heterostructure clamped by the piezoelectric material. Our work presents a promising avenue for developing energy-efficient spintronic devices.

Structural Distortions and Short‐Range Magnetism in a Honeycomb Iridate Cu3ZnIr2O6

Layered honeycomb iridates receive significant attention in the materials chemistry and physics fields due to the relevance of their crystal structures to the Kitaev model of a quantum spin liquid (QSL). In quest of liquid‐like magnetic ground state signatures, first‐generation alkali metal iridates A2IrO3 ≡ A3[AIr2]O6 (A = Li, Na) and second‐generation iridates T3[AIr2]O6 (T = Cu, Ag, H) are developed. T3[AIr2]O6 is synthesized from A3[AIr2]O6 via metathesis reactions replacing alkali ions located between honeycomb layers. Herein, the next level of chemical and structural complexity is introduced by synthesizing the honeycomb iridate, Cu3ZnIr2O6, in which alkali ions between and within the honeycomb layers are both selectively exchanged with two different transition metals. Analysis of powder X‐Ray diffraction data reveals corrugation of the honeycomb layers in Cu3ZnIr2O6 that hinders complete magnetic frustration and results in a spin glass behavior observed from magnetization and specific heat data. Thus, Cu3ZnIr2O6 represents yet another model, which broadens understanding of intricate relationships between intralayer distortions and magnetism of prospective Kitaev QSL compounds.

Large Spin Polarization from symmetry-breaking Antiferromagnets in Antiferromagnetic Tunnel Junctions

Efficient detection of the magnetic state is a critical step towards useful antiferromagnet-based spintronic devices. Recently, finite tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) has been demonstrated in tunnel junctions with antiferromagnetic electrodes, however, these studies have been mostly limited to junctions with two identical antiferromagnet (AFM) electrodes, where the matching of the spin-split Fermi surfaces played critical role. It remains unclear if AFMs can provide a finite net spin polarization, and hence be used as a spin polarizer or detector. In this work, we experimentally fabricate single-sided antiferromagnetic tunnel junctions consisting of one AFM electrode (Mn3Sn) and one ferromagnet (FM) electrode (CoFeB), where the spin polarized tunneling transport from AFM is detected by the FM layer. We observe a high TMR at cryogenic temperature (>100% at 10 K) in these asymmetric AFM tunnel junctions, suggesting a large effective spin polarization from Mn3Sn despite its nearly vanishing magnetization. The large TMR is consistent with recent theoretical studies where the broken symmetry in non-collinear AFMs is predicted to lift the spin degeneracy in the band structure. Our work provides strong evidence that spin polarized electrical transport can be achieved from AFMs.

Magnetostrictive bi-perceptive flexible sensor for tracking bend and position of human and robot hand

The sensor that simultaneously perceives bending strain and magnetic field has the potential to detect the finger bending state and hand position of the human and robot. Based on unique magneto-mechanical coupling effect of magnetostrictive materials, the proposed a bi-perceptive flexible sensor, consisting of the Co–Fe film and magnetic sensing plane coils, can realize dual information perception of strain/magnetic field through the change of magnetization state. The sensor structure and interface circuit of the sensing system are designed to provide high sensitivity and fast response, based on the input–output characteristics of the simulation model. An asynchronous multi-task deep learning method is proposed, which takes the output of the position task as the partial input of the bending state task to analyze the output information of the sensor quickly and accurately. The sensing system, integrating with the proposed model, can better predict the bending state and approach distance of human or robot hand.

Relationship between the induced voltage of a rotor bar and the rotation characteristics of a high-temperature superconducting induction motor

Although high-temperature superconducting induction motors have a simple structure, they are distinguished by their high efficiency and high power density. However, an accurate theoretical model that defines the primary electrical characteristics controlling the motor has not been established because of the nonlinear characteristics of high-temperature superconducting squirrel-cage rotor winding. As part of establishing such a model, an experiment was conducted to analyze the relationship between the induced voltage of the rotor bar in a high-temperature superconducting squirrel-cage rotor winding and stator-side quantities (voltage and transport current), as well as its rotation characteristics. A subject was a 1.5 kW class induction motor using Bi–Sr–Ca–Cu–O high-temperature superconducting rotor bars and the experiment was performed at a temperature and a frequency of 77 K and 60 Hz, respectively. The induced voltages of the rotor bars were measured by applying a rotating magnetic field and exhibited a distorted waveform characterized by a third-order harmonic in a magnetic flux flow state. Despite the distorted voltage waveform of the rotor bar, the stator transport current responsible for driving the induction motor remained unaffected and the motor initiated rotation in a slip rotation mode. From the above results, it was experimentally clarified that a stator voltage exceeding the critical current of the rotor bar must be applied when starting the induction motor. It was also shown that the rotor bar can be regarded as a constant resistance for a constant effective value of the stator current when transitioning the motor into a slip rotation state.

Structural, electronic and magnetic properties of double-Ge-layer MAX phase Cr2Ge2C: DFT study

The magnetic stability and electronic properties of a new MAX phase Cr2Ge2C are investigated using density functional theory (DFT) with the generalized gradient approximation GGA and GGA+U. Our work conducted predictive calculation of new nanolaminate Cr2Ge2C followed comparison with Ge-containing M2AX phases, the magnetic ground states are predicted as NM with GGA approximation and AFM configuration with GGA+U method. Our result have shown that the total and partial magnetic moment are greatly decreased rapidly to zero by adding Ge layer. Due to the extra Ge-layers, the TDOS of the Cr2Ge2C at the Fermi level reduces slightly compared with Cr2GeC and the Cr–C bond becomes more covalent compared with another study Cr2GeC. Finally, we hope that the theoretical study of the new MAX phase material is the first of a large family, which will give a plus in the future for experimenters and theoreticians.

Structural and Magnetic Ground State of the Spinel CoFe2O4: A Density Functional Theory Study

Structural and Magnetic Ground State of the Spinel CoFe2O4: A Density Functional Theory Study

Load characteristics of magnetization-dependent transverse thermoelectric generation in GdFeCo ferrimagnetic alloy thin films

We evaluated the thermoelectric voltage and electric power induced by the transverse and longitudinal thermoelectric generation, along with their load resistance characteristics, by measuring the load voltage in remanent magnetization states of a perpendicularly magnetized GdFeCo ferrimagnetic alloy thin film. Various load resistances were connected transversely and longitudinally to the temperature gradient. Our results showed that the load voltage induced by thermoelectric generation varied with load resistance. Additionally, the sign of the transverse load voltage reversed with the reversal of magnetization. The electric power generated thermoelectrically exhibited load dependency, reaching a local maximum. These behaviors can be qualitatively explained by the load characteristics of the power supply circuit, where polarity changes with the direction of remanent magnetization. In conclusion, we demonstrated the extraction of electric power via thermoelectric generation in a GdFeCo ferrimagnetic thin film. These observations suggest that using magnetic materials can provide new functionality for thermoelectric generators.

Spin and orbital magnetism by light in rutile altermagnets

While the understanding of altermagnetism is still at a very early stage, it is expected to play a role in various fields of condensed matter research, for example spintronics, caloritronics and superconductivity. In the field of optical magnetism, it is still unclear to which extent altermagnets as a class can exhibit a distinct behavior. Here we choose RuO2, a prototype metallic altermagnet with a giant spin splitting, and CoF2, an experimentally known insulating altermagnet, to study the light-induced magnetism in rutile altermagnets from first-principles. We demonstrate that in the non-relativisic limit the allowed sublattice-resolved orbital response exhibits symmetries, imposed by altermagnetism, which lead to a drastic canting of light-induced moments. On the other hand, we find that inclusion of spin-orbit interaction enhances the overall effect drastically, introduces a significant anisotropy with respect to the light polarization and strongly suppresses the canting of induced moments. Remarkably, we observe that the moments induced by linearly-polarized laser pulses in light altermagnets can even exceed in magnitude those predicted for heavy ferromagnets exposed to circularly polarized light. By resorting to microscopic tools we interpret our results in terms of the altermagnetic spin splittings and of their reciprocal space distribution. Based on our findings, we speculate that optical excitations may provide a unique tool to switch and probe the magnetic state of rutile altermagnets.

Anomalous Hall effect and electronic correlation in a spin-reoriented kagome antiferromagnet LuFe6Sn6

Abstract The kagome lattice system has been identified as a fertile ground for the emergence of a number of new quantum states, including superconductivity, quantum spin liquids, and topological electronic states. This has attracted significant interest within the field of condensed matter physics. Here, we present the observation of an anomalous Hall effect in an iron-based kagome antiferromagnet LuFe6Sn6, which implies a non-zero Berry curvature in this compound. By means of extensive magnetic measurements, a high Neel temperature, T N = 552 K, and a spin reorientation behavior were identified and a simple temperature-field phase diagram was constructed. Furthermore, this compound was found to exhibit a large Sommerfeld coefficient of γ = 87 mJ⋅mol−1⋅K−2, suggesting the presence of a strong electronic correlation effect. Our research indicates that LuFe6Sn6 is an intriguing compound that may exhibit magnetism, strong correlation, and topological states.