No description available.

In this dissertation we study the phases and phase transition properties of quantum ferromagnets and related magnetic materials. We first investigate the effects of an external magnetic field on the Goldstone mode of a helical magnet, such as MnSi. The field introduces a qualitatively new term into the dispersion relation of the Goldstone mode, which in turn changes the temperature dependences of the contributions of the Goldstone mode to thermodynamic and transport properties. We then study how the phase transition properties of quantum ferromagnets evolve with increasing quenched disorder. We find that there are three distinct regimes for different amounts of disorder. When the disorder is small enough, the quantum ferromagnetic phase transitions is generically of first order. If the disorder is in an intermediate region, the ferromagnetic phase transition is of second order and effectively characterized by mean-field critical exponents. If the disorder is strong enough the ferromagnetic phase transitions are continuous and are characterized by non-mean-field critical exponents.

The correlated electron systems which are the subject of this thesis are the strong electron–phonon coupling superconductor HfV2, and the localised moment magnetic systems of the alloy series Pd2REIn (RE = Gd, Tb, Ho, Er and Yb).

No description available.

Conventional electronics rely on the transport of electrons through a circuit to carry information. This comes with ever-present Joule heating as a result of the resistive scattering of electrons. Recent works in the field of spintronics have focused on using magnetic excitations (e.g., spin waves) instead of electrons as a means of information transport without Joule heating. However, realizing long distance information transport using conventional spin waves has proven difficult owing to their diffusive nature and the exponential decay of spin current. Theoretical studies have proposed a new form of magnetization dynamics, referred to as superfluid-like spin transport, as a way to overcome this shortfall. Instead of decaying exponentially with distance, the spin current associated with superfluid-like spin transport decays linearly with distance, potentially allowing for information transport beyond the micron-scale. In this dissertation, I discuss the work that I have done towards realizing this novel phenomenon in a metallic, ferromagnetic system. Results on a reduced damping and reduced magnetic moment Fe-based alloy, micromagnetic simulations that use established domain wall physics to explain superfluid-like spin transport, and an investigation of spin torques found in a current-in-plane spin valve structure with broken in-plane symmetry for excitation of superfluid-like spin transport dynamics are discussed. I conclude by discussing what steps remain before superfluid-like spin transport can be measured in an experimental system as well as the impacts this work could have on the wider spintronics field. This work was supported in part by National Science Foundation, Grant No. DMR-2003914. / Doctor of Philosophy / All of the electronics devices we use every day depend on tiny, charged particles called electrons moving through a wire. These particles bounce off of and collide with defects within that wire and cause the wire to heat up, dissipating their energy to the surrounding environment. If this could be avoided, the overall power needed to operate our devices could be lowered. To alleviate this problem, scientists take advantage of another property of the electron, its spin (which gives rise to magnetism), to send signals. Since the electron spin can interact with the spin of nearby electrons, information can be transported this way without actually moving the electrons themselves. These magnetic signals can be thought of as the electron spin wiggling a small amount about its axis, somewhat akin to a precessing top. The downside to these magnetic signals is that they decay away very quickly, typically much quicker than electron currents. In this dissertation, I focus on using a different form of magnetic signals, one that can be thought of like a fluid flowing through a pipe, to send information much further than before without significant energy losses. This phenomenon, which I call ``superfluid-like spin transport,'' has the potential to dramatically alter the future development path of next-generation devices. In the first experiment, I discuss the work done to choose a suitable material platform that can host superfluid-like spin transport. Starting with the common magnet iron, we show that by mixing it with the correct non-magnetic material, it is possible to improve the magnetic properties in a way that is beneficial to superfluid-like spin transport. In the next experiment, computer simulations were used to understand how superfluid-like spin transport might behave in a future device. We find that the fluid-like behavior found in this phenomenon can actually be understood by imagining a train of rigid particle-like entities being packed closely together. In the final experiment, I investigate whether a new and potentially simpler device geometry can be used to start the flow of superfluid-like spin transport. It turns out that the mechanism needed to start the flow is surprisingly weak in the material system studied. While this work does not achieve superfluid-like spin transport, it has taken essential steps towards understanding how one might do so in the future using common materials in an easy-to-make manner. I conclude by offering my thoughts of what the next steps would be as well as impacts this work might have on future next-generation energy-efficient devices.

The continued progress of modern information technology relies on understanding the influence of magnetic anisotropy on magnetic thin films. In this work, two sources of magnetic anisotropy are examined in two different soft ferromagnets: a uniaxial anisotropy induced during the fabrication of Ni80Fe20 and exchange anisotropy, or exchange bias, which occurs at the interface of Ni77Fe14Cu5Mo4/Fe50Mn50 bilayer. A home-built Magneto-optical Kerr effect magnetometer is used to measure the magnetic response of the soft ferromagnetic films and details of its construction are also discussed. A simple model of uniaxial anisotropy is described, then applied, to the uniaxial NiFe film and deviations from the model are critically analyzed. The exchange bias and coercive fields of NiFeCuMo/FeMn are reported for the first time and studied as a function of buffer layer material. The influence of the different buffer layer materials on the magnetization response of the bilayer is explained from a structural standpoint.

No description available.

In this dissertation application of the lanthanum manganite films and their heterostructures for fabrication of new spintronic devices is discussed. The main subjects of this work are the junctions between lanthanum manganite oxide thin films doped by divalent (Ca, Ba, Sr) and tetravalent (Ce) ions as well heterojunctions formed between lanthanum manganites and n-type SrTiO3<Nb> (STON) or n - Si substrates. The influence of doping and substrate influence on crystalline quality of manganite film structures, interface roughness as well as their electrical and magnetic properties has been estimated in this dissertation. After performing complex investigations it has been determined that tetravalent Ce ion doped lanthanum manganite films have not the electron but hole-type conductivity on the contrary to that has been reported earlier. Forming of magnetic filed dependent “manganite / (STON, n - Si)“ diode structures has been described, comparative studies of electrical and magnetic properties have been presented, and major electro-physical parameters have been estimated in this work. Possible reasons of the origin of positive and negative magnetoresistance have been pointed out. In addition, structural stabilization problems of BiFeO3 compound, exhibiting at the same time magnetic as well as ferroelectric properties and possibilities of application of its unique properties in various lanthanum manganite structures for the development of new magnetic and electrical filed... [to full text] / Disertacijoje nagrinėjamos įvairios galimybės panaudoti feromagnetinių oksidų – manganitų sluoksnius bei jų darinius naujų spintronikos prietaisų gaminimui. Šio darbo pagrindiniu tyrimo objektu pasirinktos sandūros, sudarytos tarp dvivalenčiais (Ca, Ba, Sr) ir keturvalenčiais (Ce) jonais legiruotų lantano mangano oksidų plonųjų sluoksnių, o taip pat tarp manganitų ir elektroninio laidumo SrTiO3<Nb> (STON) bei n - Si padėklų. Darbe pateiktas išsamus minėtų manganitų sluoksnių ir jų darinių gaminimo magnetroninio dulkinimo ir impulsinio lazerinio garinimo būdais aprašymas. Disertacijoje pateikti plonųjų manganitų sluoksnių, užaugintų ant skirtingų padėklų, kristalinės struktūros bei paviršiaus kokybės tyrimo duomenys, aprašytas magnetiniu lauku valdomų diodinių darinių formavimas, jų elektrinių bei magnetinių savybių tyrimai, įvertinti svarbiausi atskirų manganitų sluoksnių bei jų diodinių darinių elektrofiziniai parametrai. Atlikus kompleksinius keturvalenčiais Ce4+ jonais legiruotų lantano manganito sluoksnių kristalinės sandaros bei elektrinių savybių tyrimus nustatyta, kad šie sluoksniai pasižymi ne elektroniniu, kaip buvo skelbta anksčiau, o skyliniu elektriniu laidumu. Skylinis junginio elektrinis laidumas paaiškintas nežymiu šalutinės CeO2 fazės ir katijonų vakansijų susidarymu auginamuose sluoksniuose. Pateikti Ca, Ba, Sr ir Ce jonais legiruotų manganitų įvairialyčių darinių palyginamieji tyrimai, įvertinta padėklo įtaką kristalinės manganitų sandaros tobulumui... [toliau žr. visą tekstą]

Research on spintronics has galvanized the design of new devices that exploit the electronic spin in order to augment the performance of current microelectronic technologies. The sucessful implementation of these devices is largely contingent on a quantitative understanding of nonequilibrium magnetism in conducting ferromagnets. This thesis is largely devoted to expanding the microscopic theory of magnetization relaxation and current-induced spin torques in transition metals ferromagnets as well as in (III,Mn)V dilute magnetic semiconductors. We start with two theoretical studies of the Gilbert damping in electric equilibrium, which treat disorder exactly and include atomic-scale spatial inhomogeneities of the exchange field. These studies enable us to critically review the accuracy of the conventional expressions used to evaluate the Gilbert damping in transition metals. We follow by generalizing the calculation of the Gilbert damping to current-carrying steady states. We find that the magnetization relaxation changes in presence of an electric current. We connect this change with the non-adiabatic spin transfer torque parameter, which is an elusive yet potentially important quantity of nonequilibrium magnetism. This connection culminates in a concise analytical expression that will lead to the first ab initio estimates of the non-adiabatic spin transfer torque in real materials. Subsequently we predict that in gyrotropic ferromagnets the magnetic anisotropy can be altered by a dc current. In these systems spin-orbit coupling, broken inversion symmetry and chirality conspire to yield current-induced spin torques even for uniform magnetic textures. We thus demonstrate that a transport current can switch the magnetization of strained (Ga,Mn)As. This thesis concludes with the transfer of some fundamental ideas from nonequilibrium magnetism into the realm of superconductors, which may be viewed as easy-plane ferromagnets in the particle-hole space. We emphasize on the analogies between nonequilibrium magnetism and superconductivity, which have thus far been studied as completely separate disciplines. Our approach foreshadows potentially new effects in superconductors. / text

This thesis contains results of numerical investigations of magnetisation dynamics in nanostructed ferromagnetic materials. Magnetic systems have been simulated using the open source micromagnetic solver: Object Oriented Micromagnetic Framework (OOMMF), and thoroughly analysed using my own software: semargl. A systematic study of collective magnonic modes confined in 2D and 3D systems of rectangular ferromagnetic nano-elements is presented. The collective character of the excitations results from the dynamic magnetic dipole field. The magnetization dynamics of isolated rectangular elements is found to be spatially non-uniform which means that the dynamic dipolar coupling is highly anisotropic. A semi-analytical theory of collective magnonic modes has been developed to evaluate the properties of the dynamic magnetic dipole field. It was found that the theory is only valid for certain eigenmodes of the isolated element. In particular the modes where the magnetic dipole coupling between the elements is much lower than the internal energy of the corresponding eigenmodes of the isolated element. It is then demonstrated that the confinement of spin waves is strongly affected by the ground state of the system. In particular it has been found that symmetry properties of the topology of 2D arrays affect the dynamics of the strongly localised modes. The effect is found to be significant for arrays of any number of elements. At the same time the relative contribution of the localized modes to the uniform response decreases with the number of elements in the array. The dispersion relation of spin waves in 2D arrays of rectangular nano-elements has been calculated for the first time using micromagnetic simulations. The form of the dispersion is used to estimate the spatial anisotropy of the dynamic dipolar coupling. Simulations of the 3D confinement of spin waves in stacks of magnetic nano-elements have been performed. The calculation of both the dispersion and spatial profiles of the corresponding magnonic modes facilitates the investigation of the localisation of collective spin waves. Furthermore the dispersion of collective magnonic modes has been calculated for stacks of rectangular nano-elements for a range of in-plane aspect ratios. Finally, a numerical method has been developed to extract the scattering parameters of magnonic logic devices. This method has been demonstrated by applying it to the simplest possible magnonic device so that the results could be compared to an analytical expression of the scattering parameters.