Magnon Energy Research Articles

Raman scattering in multiferroic SmFe3(BO3)4

Raman spectrum of single-crystal SmFe3(BO3)4 was studied in the frequency range from 3 to 1500 cm−1 at temperatures 10–300 K. All the A1 and E phonon modes predicted by the group theory for a given symmetry of the crystal were observed. The magnitudes of splitting between the LO and TO components of polar E phonons were determined. It was found that under the transition to a magnetically ordered phase, the behavior of the intensity of the line corresponding to the A1 vibrational mode is anomalous. It was shown that at low temperatures the spectrum of two-magnon excitations has a complex shape and is observed with both nondiagonal and diagonal components of the scattering tensor. This complex shape reflects the features in the density of states of the magnetic branches. An estimate of the magnon energy Em at the Brillouin zone boundary gave ∼47 cm−1. The structure of the ground multiplet 6H5/2 of a Sm+3 ion in paramagnetic and antiferromagnetic states as well as the effect of the magnetic phase transition on it were studied. Electron-phonon interaction for the electronic excitation at 225 cm−1 was revealed.

Charge relaxation and recombination in photo-excited Mott insulators

Recent femtosecond pump-probe experiments on Mott insulators reveal charge recombination, which is in picosecond range, i.e., much faster than in clean bandgap semiconductors although excitation gaps in Mott insulators are even larger. The charge response in photo-excited insulators can be generally divided in femtosecond transient relaxation of charge excitations, which are holons and doublons, and a second slower, but still very fast, holon–doublon (HD) recombination. We present a theory of the recombination rate of the excited HD pairs, based on the two-dimensional (2D) model relevant for cuprates, which shows that such fast processes can be explained even quantitatively with the multi-magnon emission. We show that the condition for the exponential decay as observed in the experiment is the existence of the exciton, i.e., the bound HD pair. Its recombination rate is exponentially dependent on the charge gap and on the magnon energy, while the ultrafast process can be traced back to strong charge-spin coupling. We comment also fast recombination times in the one-dimensional (1D) Mott insulators, as e.g., organic salts. The recombination rate in the latter cases can be explained with the stronger coupling with phonon excitations.

Anomalous dimensions of heavy operators from magnon energies

We study spin chains with boundaries that are dual to open strings suspended between systems of giant gravitons and dual giant gravitons. The anomalous dimensions computed in the gauge theory are in complete quantitative agreement with energies computed in the dual string theory. The comparison makes use of a description in terms of magnons, generalizing results for a single maximal giant graviton. The symmetries of the problem determine the structure of the magnon boundary reflection/scattering matrix up to a phase. We compute a reflection/scattering matrix element at weak coupling and verify that it is consistent with the answer determined by symmetry. We find the reflection/scattering matrix does not satisfy the boundary Yang-Baxter equation so that the boundary condition on the open spin chain spoils integrability. We also explain the interpretation of the double coset ansatz in the magnon language.

LLM magnons

We consider excitations of LLM geometries described by coloring the LLM plane with concentric black rings. Certain closed string excitations are localized at the edges of these rings. The string theory predictions for the energies of magnon excitations of these strings depends on the radii of the edges of the rings. In this article we construct the operators dual to these closed string excitations and show how to reproduce the string theory predictions for magnon energies by computing one loop anomalous dimensions. These operators are linear combinations of restricted Schur polynomials. The distinction between what is the background and what is the excitation is accomplished in the choice of the subgroup and the representations used to construct the operator.

Spiral magnets with Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction containing defect bonds

We present a theory describing spiral magnets with Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI) subject to bond disorder at small concentration $c$ of defects. It is assumed that both DMI and exchange coupling are changed on imperfect bonds. Qualitatively the same physical picture is obtained in two models which are considered in detail: B20 cubic helimagnets and layered magnets in which DMI leads to a long-period spiral ordering perpendicular to layers. We find that the distortion of the spiral magnetic ordering around a single imperfect bond is long-range: values of additional turns of spins decay with the distance $r$ to the defect as $1/r^2$ being governed by the Poisson's equation for electric dipole. At finite concentration of randomly distributed imperfect bonds, we calculate correction to the spiral vector. We show that this correction can change the sign of spin chirality even at $c\ll1$ if defects are strong enough. It is demonstrated that impurities lead to a diffuse elastic neutron scattering which has power-law singularities at magnetic Bragg peaks positions. Then, each Bragg peak acquires power-law decaying tails. Corrections are calculated to the magnon energy and to its damping caused by scattering on impurities.

String theory in with mixed flux: semiclassical and 1-loop phase in the S-matrix

We present a semiclassical derivation of the tree-level and 1-loop dressing phases in the massive sector of string theory on supplemented by Ramond–Ramond and Neveu–Schwarz–Neveu–Schwarz 3-form fluxes. In analogy with the case, we use the dressing method to obtain scattering solutions for dyonic giant magnons which allows us to determine the semiclassical bound-state S-matrix and its 1-loop correction. We also find that the 1-loop correction to the dyonic giant magnon energy vanishes. Looking at the relation between the bound-state picture and elementary magnons in terms of the fusion procedure we deduce the elementary dressing phases. In both the semiclassical and 1-loop cases we find agreement with recent proposals from finite-gap equations and unitarity cut methods. Further, we find consistency with the finite-gap picture by determining the resolvent for the dyonic giant magnon from the semiclassical bosonic scattering data.

Electric-field-induced modification of the magnon energy, exchange interaction, and curie temperature of transition-metal thin films.

The electric-field-induced modification in the Curie temperature of prototypical transition-metal thin films with the perpendicular magnetic easy axis, a freestanding Fe(001) monolayer and a Co monolayer on Pt(111), is investigated by first-principles calculations of spin-spiral structures in an external electric field (E field). An applied E field is found to modify the magnon (spin-spiral formation) energy; the change arises from the E-field-induced screening charge density in the spin-spiral states due to p-d hybridizations. The Heisenberg exchange parameters obtained from the magnon energy suggest an E-field-induced modification of the Curie temperature, which is demonstrated via MonteCarlo simulations that take the magnetocrystalline anisotropy into account.

Long-living terahertz magnons in ultrathin metallic ferromagnets.

The main idea behind magnonics is to use the elementary magnetic excitations (magnons) for information transfer and processing. One of the main challenges, hindering the application of ultrafast terahertz magnons in magnonics, has been the short lifetime of these excitations in metallic ferromagnets. Here, we demonstrate that the engineering of the electronic structure of a ferromagnetic metal, by reducing its dimensionality and changing its chemical composition, opens a possibility to strongly suppress the relaxation channels of terahertz magnons and thereby enhance the magnons' lifetime. For the first time, we report on the long-lived terahertz magnons excited in ultrathin metallic alloy films. On the basis of the first-principles calculations, we explain the microscopic nature of the long lifetime being a consequence of the peculiar electronic hybridizations of the species. We further demonstrate a way of tailoring magnon energies (frequencies) by varying the chemical composition of the film.

Conductance enhancement due to interface magnons in electron-beam evaporated MgO magnetic tunnel junctions with CoFeB free layer deposited at different pressure

Electron-beam evaporated MgO-based magnetic tunnel junctions have been fabricated with the CoFeB free layer deposited at Ar pressure from 1 to 4 mTorr, and their tunneling process has been studied as a function of temperature and bias voltage. By changing the growth pressure, the junction dynamic conductance dI/dV, inelastic electron tunneling spectrum d2I/dV2, and tunneling magnetoresistance vary with temperature. Moreover, the low-energy magnon cutoff energy EC derived from the conductance versus temperature curve agrees with interface magnon energy obtained directly from the inelastic electron tunneling spectrum, which demonstrates that interface magnons are involved in the electron tunneling process, opening an additional conductance channel and thus enhancing the total conductance.

Coherent magnon optics in a ferromagnetic spinor Bose-Einstein condensate.

We measure the dispersion relation, gap, and magnetic moment of a magnon in the ferromagnetic F = 1 spinor Bose-Einstein condensate of (87)Rb. From the dispersion relation we measure an average effective mass 1.033(2)(stat)(10)(sys) times the atomic mass, as determined by interfering standing and running coherent magnon waves within the dense and trapped condensed gas. The measured mass is higher than theoretical predictions of mean-field and beyond-mean-field Beliaev theory for a bulk spinor Bose gas with s-wave contact interactions. We observe a magnon energy gap of h × 2.5(1)(stat)(2)(sys) Hz, which is consistent with the predicted effect of magnetic dipole-dipole interactions. These dipolar interactions may also account for the high magnon mass. The effective magnetic moment of -1.04(2)(stat)(8)(sys) times the atomic magnetic moment is consistent with mean-field theory.

Magnons and continua in a magnetized and dimerized spin-12chain

We examine the magnetic field dependent excitations of the dimerized spin-1/2 chain, copper nitrate, with antiferromagnetic intra-dimer exchange $J_1=0.44$ meV and exchange alternation $\alpha=J_2/J_1=0.24$. Magnetic excitations in three distinct regimes of magnetization are probed through inelastic neutron scattering at low temperatures. At low and high fields there are three and two long-lived magnon-like modes, respectively. The number of modes and the anti-phase relationship between the wave-vector dependent energy and intensity of magnon scattering reflect the distinct ground states: A singlet ground state at low fields $\mu_0H < \mu_0H_{c1} = 2.8$~T and an $S_z=1/2$ product state at high fields $\mu_0H > \mu_0H_{c2} = 4.2$~T. In the intermediate field regime, a continuum of scattering for $\hbar\omega\approx J_1$ is indicative of a strongly correlated gapless quantum state without coherent magnons.

Magnon dispersion in thin magnetic films

Although the dispersion of magnons has been measured in many bulk materials, few studies deal with the changes in the dispersion when the material is in the form of a thin film, a system that is of interest for applications. Here we review inelastic tunneling spectroscopy studies of magnon dispersion in Mn/Cu3Au(1 0 0) and present new studies on Co and Ni thin films on Cu(1 0 0). The dispersion in Mn and Co films closely follows the dispersion of bulk samples with negligible dependence on thickness. The lifetime of magnons depends slightly on film thickness, and decreases considerably as the magnon energy increases. In Ni/Cu(1 0 0) films the thickness dependence of dispersion is much more pronounced. The measurements indicate a considerable mode softening for thinner films. Magnon lifetimes decrease dramatically near the edge of the Brillouin zone due to a close proximity of the Stoner continuum. The experimental study is supported by first-principles calculations.

Ferromagnetism in the Kondo-lattice compound CePd2P2

We report physical properties of CePd2P2 crystallizing in the tetragonal ThCr2Si2-type structure (space group I4/mmm). Dc-magnetic susceptibility, magnetization, specific heat, electrical resistivity and magnetoresistance measurements establish a ferromagnetic ordering below the Curie temperature TC = 28.4 ± 0.2 K. Critical analysis of isothermal and isofield magnetization yields critical exponents of β = 0.405 ± 0.005, γ = 1.11 ± 0.05 and δ = 3.74 ± 0.04. The ordered state is characterized by saturation moment Ms ∼ 0.98μB and magnon energy gap Δ/kB ∼ 25–35 K. The studied properties reflect a competing influence of the Kondo and crystalline electric field (CEF) interactions. The strength of the Kondo effect is assigned by a low-temperature Kondo scale TK ∼ 19 ± 10 K and a high-temperature Kondo scale 117 ± 10 K. A model of the inelastic scattering of the conduction electrons with an exchanged CEF energy ΔCEF was applied to the magnetic resistivity. An average value ΔCEF = 260 ± 30 K is consistent in the relationships with TK and . We argue that the CePd2P2 compound appears to be a new ferromagnetic Kondo-lattice among the Ce-based intermetallics.

Tuning Magnetic Coupling inSr2IrO4Thin Films with Epitaxial Strain

We report x-ray resonant magnetic scattering and resonant inelastic x-ray scattering studies of epitaxially strained Sr2IrO4 thin films. The films were grown on SrTiO3 and (LaAlO3)0.3(Sr2AlTaO6)0.7 substrates, under slight tensile and compressive strains, respectively. Although the films develop a magnetic structure reminiscent of bulk Sr2IrO4, the magnetic correlations are extremely anisotropic, with in-plane correlation lengths significantly longer than the out-of-plane correlation lengths. In addition, the compressive (tensile) strain serves to suppress (enhance) the magnetic ordering temperature TN, while raising (lowering) the energy of the zone-boundary magnon. Quantum chemical calculations show that the tuning of magnetic energy scales can be understood in terms of strain-induced changes in bond lengths.

Raman scattering under structural and magnetic phase transitions in terbium ferroborate

The Raman scattering spectrum of single crystal TbFe3(BO3)4 was studied in the frequency range 3–500 cm−1 at temperatures from 2 to 300 K. It was found that in high- and low-temperature phases there exist additional phonon lines which were not known before. In the high-temperature phase, these lines originate from LO–TO splitting of polar phonons. Appearance of the additional lines in the low temperature phase is due to both a reduction of the crystal symmetry under the phase transition and an increase of the primitive cell volume. It was established that the frequencies of some phonon lines in the magneto-ordered phase are shifted towards the high-energy region upon applying an external magnetic field along the third-order axis. The spectrum of two-magnon Raman scattering was investigated. It was shown that at low temperatures the two-magnon band has a complex shape that reflects specific features in the density of state of the magnon branches. The magnon energy at the Brillouin zone boundary was determined.

Relativistic and thermal effects on the magnon spectrum of a ferromagnetic monolayer

A spin model including magnetic anisotropy terms and Dzyaloshinsky–Moriya interactions is studied for the case of a ferromagnetic monolayer with C2v symmetry like Fe/W(110). Using the quasiclassical stochastic Landau–Lifshitz–Gilbert equations, the magnon spectrum of the system is derived using linear response theory. The Dzyaloshinsky–Moriya interaction leads to asymmetry in the spectrum, while the anisotropy terms induce a gap. It is shown that, in the presence of lattice defects, both the Dzyaloshinsky–Moriya interactions and the two-site anisotropy lead to a softening of the magnon energies. Two methods are developed to investigate the magnon spectrum at finite temperatures. The theoretical results are compared to atomistic spin dynamics simulations and good agreement is found between them.

Exchange parameters and adiabatic magnon energies from spin-spiral calculations

We present a method of extracting the exchange parameters of the classical Heisenberg model from first-principles calculations of spin-spiral total energies based on density functional theory. The exchange parameters of the transition-metal monoxides MnO and NiO are calculated and used to estimate magnetic properties such as transition temperatures and magnon energies. Furthermore we show how to relate the magnon energies directly to differences in spin-spiral total energies for systems containing an arbitrary number of magnetic sublattices. This provides a comparison between magnon energies using a finite number of exchange parameters and the infinite limit.

Magnon self-energy in the correlated ferromagnetic Kondo lattice model: Spin-charge coupling effects on magnon excitations in manganites

Magnon self-energy due to spin-charge coupling is calculated for the correlated ferromagnetic Kondo lattice model (FKLM) including the intraorbital Coulomb repulsion term $U$ for the band electrons using a diagrammatic expansion scheme. By systematically incorporating correlation effects in the form of self-energy and vertex corrections, the expansion scheme explicitly preserves the continuous spin-rotation symmetry and hence the Goldstone mode. Due to a near cancellation of the correlation-induced quantum correction terms at intermediate coupling and optimal band filling relevant for ferromagnetic manganites, the renormalized magnon energies for the correlated FKLM are nearly independent of correlation term. Even at higher-band fillings, despite exhibiting overall non-Heisenberg behavior, magnon dispersion in the $\ensuremath{\Gamma}$-$X$ direction retains nearly Heisenberg form. Therefore, the experimentally observed doping-dependent zone-boundary magnon softening must be ascribed to spin-orbital coupling effects.

Ultrafast Charge Recombination in a Photoexcited Mott-Hubbard Insulator

We present a calculation of the recombination rate of the excited holon-doublon pairs based on the two-dimensional model relevant for undoped cuprates, which shows that fast processes, observed in pump-probe experiments on Mott-Hubbard insulators in the picosecond range, can be explained even quantitatively with the multimagnon emission. The precondition is the existence of the Mott-Hubbard bound exciton of the s-type. We find that its decay is exponentially dependent on the Mott-Hubbard gap and on the magnon energy, with a small prefactor, which can be traced back to strong correlations and consequently large exciton-magnon coupling.

Magnon softening in exchange-coupled hard-soft nanocomposites

We study spin excitations of the fully aligned state for three-dimensional nanocomposites of exchange coupled hard (SmFeN) and soft (FeCo) phases. The dipolar interaction lowers the magnon energy and controls the spin wave gap at k = 0, which closes when the amount of soft phase exceeds a critical value. With the addition of soft phase or increasing temperature the system moves to another ground state characterized by a tilting of the magnetization at the boundaries between spins of the hard and the soft phases.