Engineering topics

Arenholz, E.

Publications and source records attributed to Arenholz, E..

4 records

DOE OSTI2023

Observation of coherently coupled cation spin dynamics in an insulating ferrimagnetic oxide

Many technologically useful magnetic oxides are ferrimagnetic insulators, which consist of chemically distinct cations. In this work, we examine the spin dynamics of different magnetic cations in ferrimagnetic NiZnAl-ferrite (Ni 0.65 Zn 0.35 Al 0.8 Fe 1.2 O 4 ) under continuous microwave excitation. Specifically, we employ time-resolved x-ray ferromagnetic resonance to separately probe Fe 2+/3+ and Ni 2+ cations on different sublattice sites. Our results show that the precessing cation moments retain a rigid, collinear configuration to within ≈2°. Moreover, the effective spin relaxation is identical to within <10% for all magnetic cations in the ferrite. Thus, we validate the oft-assumed “ferromagnetic-like” dynamics in the resonantly driven ferrimagnetic oxide: the magnetic moments from different cations precess as a coherent, collective magnetization, despite the high contents of nonmagnetic Zn 2+ and Al 3+ diluting the exchange interactions.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

DOE OSTI2023

Magnetic phase diagram mapping in Fe 1- x Rh x composition-spread thin films

We have fabricated high-quality polycrystalline Fe 1- x Rh x composition-spread thin films by cosputtering Fe and Rh, and investigated their structural and magnetic transformations as a systematic function of composition. With increasing Rh concentration, Fe 1-x Rh x thin film undergoes from an α' phase to a disordered γ phase and also shows a magnetic transition from a ferromagnetic phase to a paramagnetic phase. Vibrating-sample magnetometry and x-ray magnetic circular dichroism measurements show an antiferromagnetic-ferromagnetic transition in the range of 0.52 < x < 0.58 in the Fe 1- x Rh x composition gradient at room temperature. Based on our structural and magnetic property mapping, we construct a thin-film phase diagram of Fe 1- x Rh x . Compared to reported results in bulk alloys, the antiferromagnetic-ferromagnetic transition in the Fe 1- x Rh x thin films was found to occur at slightly higher Rh concentrations, while the boundary between the pure γ phase and the α'/ γ mixed phase region is shifted to the lower concentration Rh.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2022

Interfacial magnetic vortex formation in exchange-coupled hard-soft magnetic bilayers

The exchange coupling between a hard magnetic layer MnBi and a soft magnetic layer Co-Fe has been found to significantly improve the maximum energy product. In this work, the spin structure of exchange coupled MnBi:Co-Fe bilayers is experimentally investigated by X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) and polarized neutron reflectometry (PNR). We find that the out-of-plane magnetization reversal process of the MnBi:Co-Fe bilayer structure involves formation of a curling-type twisting of the magnetization in the film plane at low or intermediate reversal fields. Additionally, micromagnetic simulations are further performed to provide a detailed view of the spins at the curling center. Reminiscent of chiral spin structures known as spin bobbers, this curling in the exchange-coupled hard-soft magnetic bilayers is a new type of skyrmionic spin structure and worth further investigation.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2022

Experimental realization of linearly polarized x-ray detected ferromagnetic resonance

We present the first theoretical and experimental evidence of time-resolved dynamic x-ray magnetic linear dichroism (XMLD) measurements of GHz magnetic precessions driven by ferromagnetic resonance in both metallic and insulating thin films. Our findings show a dynamic XMLD in both ferromagnetic Ni 80 Fe 20 and ferrimagnetic Ni 0.65 Zn 0.35 Al 0.8 Fe 1.2 O 4 for different measurement geometries and linear polarizations. A detailed analysis of the observed signals reveals the importance of separating different harmonic components in the dynamic signal in order to identify the XMLD response without the influence of competing contributions. In particular, RF magnetic resonance elicits a large dynamic XMLD response at the fundamental frequency under experimental geometries with oblique x-ray polarization. The geometric range and experimental sensitivity can be improved by isolating the 2ω Fourier component of the dynamic response. These results illustrate the potential of dynamic XMLD and represent a milestone accomplishment toward the study of GHz spin dynamics in systems beyond ferromagnetic order.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗