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This thesis provides a detailed study of environmental magnetism in a speleothem. It focuses on a stalagmite from Pau DAlho cave (15°1220S, 56°4841W) located in Rosário dOeste, Mato Grosso State, Brazil. This speleothem grew during the past 1355 years, with average growth rate of ~168 mm/ka and encompasses two key events in the South American Summer Monsoon (SASM), the Medieval Climate Anomaly (MCA) and the Little Ice Age (LIA), major dry and wet, respectively. The rock magnetic experiments conducted, include isothermal remanent magnetization (IRM) and anhysteretic remanent magnetization (ARM) acquisition curves, thermal demagnetization of three-axis IRM acquisition, hysteresis loops, first order reversal curves (FORC) and low-temperature SQUID magnetometry experiments. The main magnetic remanence carriers in the stalagmite are magnetite and goethite, with a nearly constant relative proportion. Magnetite has remanent coercivities between 14-17 mT, and its magnetic properties are similar to those produced by pedogenic processes. Magnetic remanence is broadly correlated with carbon and oxygen isotope data throughout most of the speleothem, suggesting that precipitation and soil dynamics above the cave exert a strong control on the input of magnetic minerals into the Pau dAlho cave system. Dry periods like the MCA are associated with less stable soils that result in higher mineral fluxes carried into karst systems via groundwater, while conversely, colder and wetter periods like the LIA are associated with soils topped by denser vegetation that are more capable of retaining micrometer-scale pedogenic minerals, and thus reduce mineral fluxes into karst environments. / Esta tese fornece um estudo detalhado do magnetismo ambiental de espeleotemas. Este estudo é feito em uma estalagmite da caverna Pau D\'Alho (15 ° 12\'20 \"S, 56 ° 48\'41\" W), localizado em Rosário d\'Oeste, Mato Grosso, Brasil. Este espeleotema cresceu durante os últimos 1355 anos, com taxa média de crescimento de ~ 168 mm/ka e engloba dois eventos climáticos do Sistema de Monção Sul-americano (SMSA), a Anomalia Climática do Medieval (ACM) e a Pequena Idade do Gelo (PIG), eventos secos e molhados, respectivamente. Os experimentos de magnetismo de rocha incluem: magnetização remanecte isotermal (MRI), ciclos de histerese, magnetização remanente anisterética (MRA), desmagnetização térmica em três eixos, first order reversal curves (FORC) e experimentos de baixa temperatura. Os principais portadore magnéticos na estalagmite são magnetita e goethita, com uma proporção relativa quase constante. A magnetita tem coercividades entre 14-17 mT, e as suas propriedades magnéticas são semelhantes às produzidas por processos pedogênicos. As remanências magnéticas são amplamente correlacionadas com dados de isótopos de carbono e oxigênio durante o registro, sugerindo que a precipitação e a dinâmica do solo acima da caverna exerce um forte controle na entrada de minerais magnéticos no sistema de cavernas Pau d\'Alho. Períodos secos como o ACM estão associados a solos menos estáveis, que resultam em maiores fluxos de minerais detríticos carreados para o sistema de cavernas, ao passo que, inversamente, os períodos frios e chuvosos como a LIA estão associados a solos cobertos pela vegetação mais densa que são mais capazes de reter minerais pedogênicos de escala micrométrica, e, assim, diminuir os fluxos de minerais detríticos para o sistema de cavernas.

The magnetic and structural properties of nano magnet arrays and ferromagnetic thin films are investigated. Circular x-rays are used and extensive use is made in this Thesis of the X-ray Magnetic Circular Dichroism (XMCD) technique. By means of the XMCD magneto-optic sum rules the values of the orbital and spin moments are determined. In the case of the nano magnet arrays studied, the XMCD technique is used in a spatially resolved mode using Photo Electron Emission Microscopy (PEEM) after circular light excitation. The Extended X-ray Absorption Fine Structure (EXAFS) is studied in both the Co K- and L-edges. In situ Co L-edge X-ray XMCD spectroscopy measurements are presented, in combination with spectro-microscopy results, on Co/Pt and Co/Au based nano-dot arrays, of typical dot lateral size 250×100 nm2, on self organized Si0.5Ge0.5. The Co is only a few atomic layers thick. The dot arrays display a high degree of lateral order and the individual dots, in several cases, exhibit a stable magnetic moment at 300 K. It is found possible to characterize the spin reorientation of these dot arrays. For both systems the in- versus out-of-plane orbital moment anisotropy, is not always related with an out-of-plane magnetization and the occurrence of a spin reorientation. By performing Co K-edge EXAFS measurements the local atomic structure around the Co atoms is characterized. The feasibility of a high precision quantitative structural analysis of L-EXAFS is studied on the system Au/Co/Au/W(110). The spin reorientation transition is studied as a function of the Co thickness and Au cap thickness. The L-edge EXAFS indicates that this reorientation is correlated to a lattice expansion in the perpendicular direction. High precision angle dependent XMCD work is performed on a high temperature exchange bias system. Pinned or frozen magnetic moments are studied within an exchange biased NiFe ferromagnet at the NiFe/FeMn, ferromagnet/antiferromagnet interface by XMCD and complemented by x-ray resonant reflectivity experiments, at the Ni, Fe and Mn L-edges. The Mn L-edge XMCD MnSb and of (Ga, Mn)As layers modified by high temperature annealing is studied. For MnSb an enhanced value is obtained versus theoretical calculations. This result can be explained by means of the enhanced surface to volume ratio for the samples studied. For (Ga, Mn)As differences are found in the local environment of the Mn atoms upon annealing.

This thesis provides a detailed study of environmental magnetism in a speleothem. It focuses on a stalagmite from Pau DAlho cave (15°1220S, 56°4841W) located in Rosário dOeste, Mato Grosso State, Brazil. This speleothem grew during the past 1355 years, with average growth rate of ~168 mm/ka and encompasses two key events in the South American Summer Monsoon (SASM), the Medieval Climate Anomaly (MCA) and the Little Ice Age (LIA), major dry and wet, respectively. The rock magnetic experiments conducted, include isothermal remanent magnetization (IRM) and anhysteretic remanent magnetization (ARM) acquisition curves, thermal demagnetization of three-axis IRM acquisition, hysteresis loops, first order reversal curves (FORC) and low-temperature SQUID magnetometry experiments. The main magnetic remanence carriers in the stalagmite are magnetite and goethite, with a nearly constant relative proportion. Magnetite has remanent coercivities between 14-17 mT, and its magnetic properties are similar to those produced by pedogenic processes. Magnetic remanence is broadly correlated with carbon and oxygen isotope data throughout most of the speleothem, suggesting that precipitation and soil dynamics above the cave exert a strong control on the input of magnetic minerals into the Pau dAlho cave system. Dry periods like the MCA are associated with less stable soils that result in higher mineral fluxes carried into karst systems via groundwater, while conversely, colder and wetter periods like the LIA are associated with soils topped by denser vegetation that are more capable of retaining micrometer-scale pedogenic minerals, and thus reduce mineral fluxes into karst environments. / Esta tese fornece um estudo detalhado do magnetismo ambiental de espeleotemas. Este estudo é feito em uma estalagmite da caverna Pau D\'Alho (15 ° 12\'20 \"S, 56 ° 48\'41\" W), localizado em Rosário d\'Oeste, Mato Grosso, Brasil. Este espeleotema cresceu durante os últimos 1355 anos, com taxa média de crescimento de ~ 168 mm/ka e engloba dois eventos climáticos do Sistema de Monção Sul-americano (SMSA), a Anomalia Climática do Medieval (ACM) e a Pequena Idade do Gelo (PIG), eventos secos e molhados, respectivamente. Os experimentos de magnetismo de rocha incluem: magnetização remanecte isotermal (MRI), ciclos de histerese, magnetização remanente anisterética (MRA), desmagnetização térmica em três eixos, first order reversal curves (FORC) e experimentos de baixa temperatura. Os principais portadore magnéticos na estalagmite são magnetita e goethita, com uma proporção relativa quase constante. A magnetita tem coercividades entre 14-17 mT, e as suas propriedades magnéticas são semelhantes às produzidas por processos pedogênicos. As remanências magnéticas são amplamente correlacionadas com dados de isótopos de carbono e oxigênio durante o registro, sugerindo que a precipitação e a dinâmica do solo acima da caverna exerce um forte controle na entrada de minerais magnéticos no sistema de cavernas Pau d\'Alho. Períodos secos como o ACM estão associados a solos menos estáveis, que resultam em maiores fluxos de minerais detríticos carreados para o sistema de cavernas, ao passo que, inversamente, os períodos frios e chuvosos como a LIA estão associados a solos cobertos pela vegetação mais densa que são mais capazes de reter minerais pedogênicos de escala micrométrica, e, assim, diminuir os fluxos de minerais detríticos para o sistema de cavernas.

Magnetization dynamics in nano-contact spin torque oscillators (STOs) is investigated from an experimental and theoretical point of view. The fundamentals of magnetization dynamics due to spin transfer torque are given. A custom-made high frequency (up to 46 GHz) in large magnetic fields (up to 2.2 T) microwave characterization setup has been built for the purpose and described in this thesis. A unique feature of this setup is the capability of applying magnetic fields at any direction θe out of the sample plane, and with high precision. This is particularly important, because the (average) out-of-plane angle of the STO free magnetic layer has fundamental impact on spin wave generation and STO operation. By observing the spin wave spectral emission as a function of θe, we find that at angles θe below a certain critical angle θcr, two distinct spin wave modes can be excited: a propagating mode, and a localized mode of solitonic character (so called spin wave bullet). The experimental frequency, current threshold and frequency tuneability with current of the two modes can be described qualitatively by analytical models and quantitatively by numerical simulations. We are also able to understand the importance, so far underestimated, of the Oersted field in the dynamics of nano-contact STOs. In particular, we show that the Oersted field strongly affects the current tuneability of the propagating mode at subcritical angles, and it is also the fundamental cause of the mode hopping observed in the time-domain. This mode hopping has been observed both experimentally using a state-of-the-art real-time oscilloscope and corroborated by micromagnetic simulations. Micromagnetic simulations also reveal details of the spatial distribution of the spin wave excitations. By investigating the emitted power as a function of θe, we observed two characteristic behaviors for the two spin wave modes: a monotonic increase of the power for increasing out-of-plane angles in the case of the propagating mode; an increase towards a maximum power followed by a drop of it at the critical angle for the localized mode. Both behaviors are reproduced by micromagnetic simulations. The agreement with the simulations offers also a way to better understand the precession dynamics, since the emitted power is strongly connected to the angular variation of the giant magnetoresistance signal. We also find that the injection locking of spin wave modes with a microwave source has a strong dependence on θe, and reaches a maximum locking strength at perpendicular angles. We are able to describe these results in the theoretical framework of non-linear spin wave dynamics. / QC 20101130

LD2668 .T4 1962 R37

I have investigated the influence of an ultra-thin Au interface layer on the magnetic anisotropy of Co-Pd and Co-Cu structures. Sandwich structures of the form X/Co/Y/Cu/Si(111), with (X, Y) = (Pd, Pd), (Au, Pd), (Pd, Au), (Cu, Cu), (Au, Cu), and (Cu, Au) were studied. For each structure, a Au layer of systematically varied thickness (t(Au)) was inserted at one Co interface. I also investigated Co/Pd and Co/Cu multilayer systems. For each Co-Pd sandwich structures a maximum is observed in the magnetic anisotropy for t(Au) = 1 to 1.5 atomic monolayer (ML). For the Co/Pd multilayer system, a maximum in coercivity occurs with tAu = 0.5 ML. For each Co-Cu sandwich structure except (X, Y) = (Cu, Au), a minimum in magnetic anisotropy is observed at t(Au) = 1 ML. For the Co/Cu multilayer system, a decrease in magnetoresistance was seen with increased tAu except in multilayers with a relatively thin Co layer thickness (∼3 ML) which display a peak in magnetoresistance is seen at tAu = 1 ML. I have also investigated the strain, surface alloying, and surface (interface) roughness of these systems using RHEED, XPS, and LAXD. Analysis of these measurements reveals some correlation between magnetic anisotropy and both strain and surface roughness. Based on my investigations, I conclude that the most likely cause for the non-monotonic changes seen in anisotropy is changes in the surface magnetocrystalline anisotropy. While strain and surface roughness may also play a role, I believe that the influence of the ultra-thin Au interlayer on the orbital hybridization and electronic environment at the interface is dominant.

The properties of cubic nitrides grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) on GaAs (001) have been studied using optical and electrical techniques. The aim of these studies was the improvement of the growth techniques in order to improve the quality of grown nitrides intended for bulk substrate and optoelectronic device applications. We have also characterised hexagonal nanocolumn structures incorporating indium. Firstly, bulk films of cubic AlxGa1-xN with aluminium fractions (x) spanning the entire composition range were tested using time-integrated and time-resolved photoluminescence (PL) plus reflectivity measurements. Strong PL emission was recorded from the samples, with improved intensity for higher aluminium concentrations. Temperature dependent and time-resolved PL showed the increasing role of carrier localisation at larger AlN fractions. The reflectivity results showed a near-steady increase in the bandgap energy with increasing AlN content. Alternative interpretations that did and did not involve a transition from direct-gap to indirect-gap behaviour in cubic AlxGa1-xN were considered. We next looked at cubic AlxGa1-xN/GaN/AlxGa1-xN single quantum well (QW) structures with varying AlN content in the barrier regions. The PL studies indicated that carrier escape from the QWs and non-radiative recombination at layer interfaces were limiting factors for strong well emission. Higher AlN concentration in the barriers appeared to exacerbate these problems. The doping of cubic GaN with silicon (n-type) and magnesium (p-type) was also studied. For Mg-doped GaN, a strong blue band emission was noted in the PL spectrum, which became more intense at higher doping levels. The Mg-doped GaN layers had low conductivity and their mobility could not be measured due to strong compensation effects. The cubic film had similar time-resolved PL properties for the blue band emission compared to hexagonal Mg:GaN. These results suggested that the blue band was the result of recombination between a shallow Mg acceptor and deep donor, believed to be a complex including a nitrogen vacancy and an Mg atom. This complex was also associated with the compensation effect seen in the electrical measurements. With the Si-doped cubic GaN, we observed PL spectra that were consistent with other sources. Thicker layers of GaN:Si did not have measurable mobility. This was likely caused by the rough surface structure that was imaged using a scanning electron microscope. The thin layer had a very smooth surface in comparison. The mobility of sub-micron thickness layers with a carrier concentrations of n = 2.0×1018cm-3 and n = 9.0×1017cm-3 were μ = 3.9cm2/Vs and μ = 9.5cm2/Vs respectively. The mobility values and structural issues indicated that growth improvements were needed to reduce scattering defects. In addition to cubic structures, we have considered nanocolumn growth of InGaN and InN. InxGa1-xN nanocolumns were grown on Si (111) by MBE with a nominal indium concentration of x = 0.5. PL emission was obtained from samples grown at higher temperature, but overall intensity was low. A second set of samples, where nanocolumn growth was followed by growth of a continuous coalesced film exhibited much stronger PL emission, which was attributed to the elimination of a phase separated core-shell structure in the nanocolumns. Next, a coalesced InxGa1-xN structure with vertically varying indium fraction was characterised. PL readings showed evidence of successful concentration grading. Finally, the PL spectra of coalesced InN layers were recorded, for which a specialised infrared PL system needed to be used. The results highlighted how increased growth temperature and indium flux can improve PL properties. For the binary alloy however, coalescence growth can decrease PL intensity compared to the nanocolumns stage.

No description available.