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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 289 records · Page 16
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2021

Effect of atom substitutions on the magnetic properties in Ce 2 Fe 17 : Toward permanent magnet applications

Due to the rapidly developing technologies and huge market demand, there has been increasing interest internationally in exploring permanent magnet formulations in addition to the well-known Nd 2 Fe 14 B and SmCo 5 /Sm 2 Co 17 . Given Fe's low materials cost and generally high magnetization, Fe-rich rare earth binaries such as Ce 2 Fe 17 comprise a rich “hunting ground” for such new materials. While this compound suffers from a low ordering point and is a heli magnet, these difficulties are easily remedied by the substitution of appropriate amounts of cobalt for Fe, with room-temperature saturation magnetization as high as 1.5 T. In this work, we try to switch the all-important magnetic anisotropy from planar to uniaxial behavior in Ce 2 Fe 17 via 18 h - and 6 c -type atom substitutions with Si, Ir, and numerous other atoms. The uniaxial magnetocrystalline anisotropy is successfully achieved in the 6 c -site-substituted Ce 2 Fe 15 Ir 2 systems, along with large magnetization. We find that iridium substitution, in particular, induces a substantial uniaxial anisotropy of 11.25 MJ/m 3 , which is comparable to most of the current rare earth permanent magnets. Although the iridium substitution is costly, the finding of Ir-triggered uniaxial magnetic anisotropy indicates the potential of Ce–Fe-based alloys for permanent magnets.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2017

Truncation of the Accretion Disk at One-third of the Eddington Limit in the Neutron Star Low-mass X-Ray Binary Aquila X-1

We perform a reflection study on a new observation of the neutron star (NS) low-mass X-ray binary Aquila X-1 taken with NuSTAR during the 2016 August outburst and compare with the 2014 July outburst. The source was captured at ∼32% L {sub Edd}, which is over four times more luminous than the previous observation during the 2014 outburst. Both observations exhibit a broadened Fe line profile. Through reflection modeling, we determine that the inner disk is truncated R{sub in,2016}=11{sub −1}{sup +2} R{sub g} (where R {sub g} = GM/c {sup 2}) and R{sub in,2014}=14±2 R{sub g} (errors quoted at the 90% confidence level). Fiducial NS parameters (M {sub NS} = 1.4 M {sub ⊙}, R {sub NS} = 10 km) give a stellar radius of R {sub NS} = 4.85 R {sub g}; our measurements rule out a disk extending to that radius at more than the 6σ level of confidence. We are able to place an upper limit on the magnetic field strength of B ≤ 3.0–4.5 × 10{sup 9} G at the magnetic poles, assuming that the disk is truncated at the magnetospheric radius in each case. This is consistent with previous estimates of the magnetic field strength for Aquila X-1. However, if the magnetosphere is not responsible for truncating the disk prior to the NS surface, we estimate a boundary layer with a maximum extent of R{sub BL,2016}∼10 R{sub g} and R{sub BL,2014}∼6 R{sub g}. Additionally, we compare the magnetic field strength inferred from the Fe line profile of Aquila X-1 and other NS low-mass X-ray binaries to known accreting millisecond X-ray pulsars.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Scaling of Turbulent Viscosity and Resistivity: Extracting a Scale-dependent Turbulent Magnetic Prandtl Number

Turbulent viscosity νt and resistivity ηt are perhaps the simplest models for turbulent transport of angular momentum and magnetic fields, respectively. The associated turbulent magnetic Prandtl number Pr t ≡ ν t /η t has been well recognized to determine the final magnetic configuration of accretion disks. Here, we present an approach to determining these "effective transport" coefficients acting at different length scales using coarse-graining and recent results on decoupled kinetic and magnetic energy cascades. By analyzing the kinetic and magnetic energy cascades from a suite of high-resolution simulations, we show that our definitions of ν t , η t , and Pr t have power-law scalings in the "decoupled range." We observe that Pr t ≈ 1–2 at the smallest inertial-inductive scales, increasing to ≈5 at the largest scales. Furthermore, based on physical considerations, our analysis suggests that Pr t has to become scale independent and of order unity in the decoupled range at sufficiently high Reynolds numbers (or grid resolution) and that the power-law scaling exponents of velocity and magnetic spectra become equal. In addition to implications for astrophysical systems, the scale-dependent turbulent transport coefficients offer a guide for large-eddy simulation modeling.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Radiation magnetohydrodynamic simulations of the formation of hot accretion disk coronae

A new mechanism to form a magnetic pressure supported, high temperature corona above the photosphere of an accretion disk is explored using three dimensional radiation magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations. The thermal properties of the disk are calculated self-consistently by balancing radiative cooling through the surfaces of the disk with heating due to dissipation of turbulence driven by magneto-rotational instability (MRI). As has been noted in previous work, we find the dissipation rate per unit mass increases dramatically with height above the mid-plane, in stark contrast to the α-disk model which assumes this quantity is a constant. Thus, we find that in simulations with a low surface density (and therefore a shallow photosphere), the fraction of energy dissipated above the photosphere is significant (about 3.4% in our lowest surface density model), and this fraction increases as surface density decreases. When a significant fraction of the accretion energy is dissipated in the optically thin photosphere, the gas temperature increases substantially and a high temperature, magnetic pressure supported corona is formed. The volume-averaged temperature in the disk corona is more than 10 times larger than at the disk mid-plane. Moreover, gas temperature in the corona is strongly anti-correlated with gas density, which implies the corona formed by MRI turbulence is patchy. This mechanism to form an accretion disk corona may help explain the observed relation between the spectral index and luminosity from active galactic nucleus (AGNs), and the soft X-ray excess from some AGNs. It may also be relevant to spectral state changes in X-ray binaries.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

ROSSBY WAVE INSTABILITY AT DEAD ZONE BOUNDARIES IN THREE-DIMENSIONAL RESISTIVE MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMICAL GLOBAL MODELS OF PROTOPLANETARY DISKS

It has been suggested that the transition between magnetorotationally active and dead zones in protoplanetary disks should be prone to the excitation of vortices via Rossby wave instability (RWI). However, the only numerical evidence for this has come from alpha disk models, where the magnetic field evolution is not followed, and the effect of turbulence is parameterized by Laplacian viscosity. We aim to establish the phenomenology of the flow in the transition in three-dimensional resistive-magnetohydrodynamical models. We model the transition by a sharp jump in resistivity, as expected in the inner dead zone boundary, using the PENCIL CODE to simulate the flow. We find that vortices are readily excited in the dead side of the transition. We measure the mass accretion rate finding similar levels of Reynolds stress at the dead and active zones, at the {alpha} Almost-Equal-To 10{sup -2} level. The vortex sits in a pressure maximum and does not migrate, surviving until the end of the simulation. A pressure maximum in the active zone also triggers the RWI. The magnetized vortex that results should be disrupted by parasitical magneto-elliptic instabilities, yet it subsists in high resolution. This suggests that either the parasitic modes are still numerically damped or that the RWI supplies vorticity faster than they can destroy it. We conclude that the resistive transition between the active and dead zones in the inner regions of protoplanetary disks, if sharp enough, can indeed excite vortices via RWI. Our results lend credence to previous works that relied on the alpha-disk approximation, and caution against the use of overly reduced azimuthal coverage on modeling this transition.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

THE POST-MERGER MAGNETIZED EVOLUTION OF WHITE DWARF BINARIES: THE DOUBLE-DEGENERATE CHANNEL OF SUB-CHANDRASEKHAR TYPE Ia SUPERNOVAE AND THE FORMATION OF MAGNETIZED WHITE DWARFS

Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) play a crucial role as standardizable cosmological candles, though the nature of their progenitors is a subject of active investigation. Recent observational and theoretical work has pointed to merging white dwarf binaries, referred to as the double-degenerate channel, as the possible progenitor systems for some SNe Ia. Additionally, recent theoretical work suggests that mergers which fail to detonate may produce magnetized, rapidly rotating white dwarfs. In this paper, we present the first multidimensional simulations of the post-merger evolution of white dwarf binaries to include the effect of the magnetic field. In these systems, the two white dwarfs complete a final merger on a dynamical timescale, and are tidally disrupted, producing a rapidly rotating white dwarf merger surrounded by a hot corona and a thick, differentially rotating disk. The disk is strongly susceptible to the magnetorotational instability (MRI), and we demonstrate that this leads to the rapid growth of an initially dynamically weak magnetic field in the disk, the spin-down of the white dwarf merger, and to the subsequent central ignition of the white dwarf merger. Additionally, these magnetized models exhibit new features not present in prior hydrodynamic studies of white dwarf mergers, including the development of MRI turbulence in the hot disk, magnetized outflows carrying a significant fraction of the disk mass, and the magnetization of the white dwarf merger to field strengths {approx}2 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 8} G. We discuss the impact of our findings on the origins, circumstellar media, and observed properties of SNe Ia and magnetized white dwarfs.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Design of a self-aligned, wide temperature range (300 mK-300 K) atomic force microscope/magnetic force microscope with 10 nm magnetic force microscope resolution

We describe the design of a wide temperature range (300 mK-300 K) atomic force microscope/magnetic force microscope with a self-aligned fibre-cantilever mechanism. An alignment chip with alignment groves and a special mechanical design are used to eliminate tedious and time consuming fibre-cantilever alignment procedure for the entire temperature range. A low noise, Michelson fibre interferometer was integrated into the system for measuring deflection of the cantilever. The spectral noise density of the system was measured to be ~12 fm/√Hz at 4.2 K at 3 mW incident optical power. Abrikosov vortices in BSCCO(2212) single crystal sample and a high density hard disk sample were imaged at 10 nm resolution to demonstrate the performance of the system.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2016

IMPLICATIONS OF THE COROTATION THEOREM ON THE MRI IN AXIAL SYMMETRY

We analyze the linear stability of an axially symmetric ideal plasma disk, embedded in a magnetic field and endowed with a differential rotation. This study is performed by adopting the magnetic flux function as the fundamental dynamical variable, in order to outline the role played by the corotation theorem on the linear mode structure. Using some specific assumptions (e.g., plasma incompressibility and propagation of the perturbations along the background magnetic field), we select the Alfvénic nature of the magnetorotational instability, and, in the geometric optics limit, we determine the dispersion relation describing the linear spectrum. We show how the implementation of the corotation theorem (valid for the background configuration) on the linear dynamics produces the cancellation of the vertical derivative of the disk angular velocity (we check such a feature also in the standard vector formalism to facilitate comparison with previous literature, in both the axisymmetric and three-dimensional cases). As a result, we clarify that the unstable modes have, for a stratified disk, the same morphology, proper of a thin-disk profile, and the z -dependence has a simple parametric role.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

THE DISK EVAPORATION MODEL FOR THE SPECTRAL FEATURES OF LOW-LUMINOSITY ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI

Observations show that the accretion flows in low-luminosity active galactic nuclei probably have a two-component structure with an inner, hot, optically thin, advection-dominated accretion flow (ADAF) and an outer, truncated, cool, optically thick accretion disk. As shown by Taam et al., the truncation radius as a function of mass accretion rate is strongly affected by including the magnetic field within the framework of disk evaporation model, i.e., an increase in the magnetic field results in a smaller truncation radius of the accretion disk. In this work, we calculate the emergent spectrum of an inner ADAF + an outer truncated accretion disk around a supermassive black hole based on the prediction by Taam et al.. It is found that an increase in the magnetic field from β = 0.8 to β = 0.5 (with magnetic pressure p{sub m} = B {sup 2}/8π = (1 – β)p{sub tot}, p{sub tot} = p{sub gas} + p{sub m}) results in a factor of ∼8.7 increase in the luminosity from the truncated accretion disk. Meanwhile, results of the peak emission of the truncated accretion disk shift toward a a factor of ∼5 higher frequency. We found that the equipartition of gas pressure to magnetic pressure, i.e., β = 0.5, failed to explain the observed anti-correlation between L{sub 2-10{sub keV}}/L{sub Edd} and the bolometric correction κ{sub 2-10{sub keV}} (with κ{sub 2-10{sub keV}} = L{sub bol}/L{sub 2-10{sub keV}}). The emergent spectra for larger values of β = 0.8 or β = 0.95 can explain the observed L{sub 2-10{sub keV}}/L{sub Edd}-κ{sub 2-10{sub keV}} correlation. We argue that in the disk evaporation model, the electrons in the corona are assumed to be heated only by a transfer of energy from the ions to electrons via Coulomb collisions, which is reasonable for accretion with a lower mass accretion rate. Coulomb heating is the dominated heating mechanism for the electrons only if the magnetic field is strongly sub-equipartition, which is roughly consistent with observations.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

Magnetized and collimated millimeter scale plasma jets with astrophysical relevance

Magnetized collimated plasma jets are created in the laboratory to extend our understanding of plasma jet acceleration and collimation mechanisms with particular connection to astrophysical jets. In this study, plasma collimated jets are formed from supersonic unmagnetized flows, mimicking a stellar wind, subject to currents and magnetohydrodynamic forces. It is found that an external poloidal magnetic field, like the ones found anchored to accretion disks, is essential to stabilize the jets against current-driven instabilities. The maximum jet length before instabilities develop is proportional to the field strength and the length threshold agrees well with Kruskal-Shafranov theory. The plasma evolution is modeled qualitatively using MHD theory of current-carrying flux tubes showing that jet acceleration and collimation arise as a result of electromagnetic forces.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2012

TESTING DISK-LOCKING IN NGC 2264

We test analytic predictions from different models of magnetospheric accretion, which invoke disk-locking, using stellar and accretion parameters derived from models of low-resolution optical spectra of 36 T Tauri stars (TTSs) in NGC 2264 (age {approx}3 Myr). Little evidence is found for models that assume purely dipolar field geometries; however, strong support is found in the data for a modified version of the X-wind model which allows for non-dipolar field geometries. The trapped flux concept in the X-wind model is key to making the analytic predictions which appear supported in the data. By extension, our analysis provides support for the outflows predicted by the X-wind as these also originate in the trapped flux region. In addition, we find no support in the data for accretion-powered stellar winds from young stars. By comparing the analysis presented here of NGC 2264 with a similar analysis of stars in Taurus (age {approx}1-2 Myr), we find evidence that the equilibrium interaction between the magnetic field and accretion disk in TTS systems evolves as the stars grow older, perhaps as the result of evolution of the stellar magnetic field geometry. We compare the accretion rates we derive with accretion rates based on U-band excess, finding good agreement. In addition, we use our accretion parameters to determine the relationship between accretion and H{beta} luminosity, again finding good agreement with previously published results; however, we also find that care must be taken when applying this relationship due to strong chromospheric emission in young stars, which can lead to erroneous results in some cases.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Evaluation of a recycling process for printed circuit board by physical separation and heat treatment

Highlights: • The parts mounted on printed circuit board (PCB) were liberated by underwater explosion and mechanical crushing. • The crushed PCB without surface-mounted parts was carbonized under inert atmosphere at 873 K to recover copper. • The multi-layered ceramic capacitors including nickel was carbonized at 873 K to recover nickel by the magnetic separation. • The tantalum powders were recovered from the molded resins by heat treatment at 723 and 823 K in air atmosphere and screening. • Energy and treatment cost of new process increased, however, the environmental burden decreased comparing conventional one. - Abstract: Printed circuit boards (PCBs) from discarded personal computer (PC) and hard disk drive were crushed by explosion in water or mechanical comminution in order to disintegrate the attached parts. More parts were stripped from PCB of PC, composed of epoxy resin; than from PCB of household appliance, composed of phenol resin. In an attempt to raise the copper grade of PCB by removing other components, a carbonization treatment was investigated. The crushed PCB without surface-mounted parts was carbonized under a nitrogen atmosphere at 873–1073 K. After screening, the char was classified by size into oversized pieces, undersized pieces and powder. The copper foil and glass fiber pieces were liberated and collected in undersized fraction. The copper foil was liberated easily from glass fiber by stamping treatment. As one of the mounted parts, the multi-layered ceramic capacitors (MLCCs), which contain nickel, were carbonized at 873 K. The magnetic separation is carried out at a lower magnetic field strength of 0.1 T and then at 0.8 T. In the +0.5 mm size fraction the nickel grade in magnetic product was increased from 0.16% to 6.7% and the nickel recovery is 74%. The other useful mounted parts are tantalum capacitors. The tantalum capacitors were collected from mounted parts. The tantalum-sintered bodies were separated from molded resins by heat treatment at 723–773 K in air atmosphere and screening of 0.5 mm. Silica was removed and 70% of tantalum grade was obtained after more than 823 K heating and separation. Next, the evaluation of Cu recycling in PCB is estimated. Energy consumption of new process increased and the treatment cost becomes 3 times higher comparing the conventional process, while the environmental burden of new process decreased comparing conventional process. The nickel recovery process in fine ground particles increased energy and energy cost comparing those of the conventional process. However, the environmental burden decreased than the conventional one. The process for recovering tantalum used more heat for the treatment and therefore the energy consumption increased by 50%, when comparing with conventional process. However, the market price for tantalum is very large; the profit for tantalum recovery is added. Also the environmental burden decreased by the recycling of tantalum recovery. Therefore, the tantalum recovery is very important step in the PCB recycling. If there is no tantalum, the consumed energy and treatment cost increase in the new process, though the environmental burden decreases.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2016

A GLOBAL GALACTIC DYNAMO WITH A CORONA CONSTRAINED BY RELATIVE HELICITY

We present a model for a global axisymmetric turbulent dynamo operating in a galaxy with a corona that treats the parameters of turbulence driven by supernovae and by magneto-rotational instability under a common formalism. The nonlinear quenching of the dynamo is alleviated by the inclusion of small-scale advective and diffusive magnetic helicity fluxes, which allow the gauge-invariant magnetic helicity to be transferred outside the disk and consequently to build up a corona during the course of dynamo action. The time-dependent dynamo equations are expressed in a separable form and solved through an eigenvector expansion constructed using the steady-state solutions of the dynamo equation. The parametric evolution of the dynamo solution allows us to estimate the final structure of the global magnetic field and the saturated value of the turbulence parameter α{sub m}, even before solving the dynamical equations for evolution of magnetic fields in the disk and the corona, along with α-quenching. We then solve these equations simultaneously to study the saturation of the large-scale magnetic field, its dependence on the small-scale magnetic helicity fluxes, and the corresponding evolution of the force-free field in the corona. The quadrupolar large-scale magnetic field in the disk is found to reach equipartition strength within a timescale of 1 Gyr. The large-scale magnetic field in the corona obtained is much weaker than the field inside the disk and has only a weak impact on the dynamo operation.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Ab Initio Simulations of a Supernova-driven Galactic Dynamo in an Isolated Disk Galaxy

We study the magnetic field evolution of an isolated spiral galaxy, using isolated Milky Way–mass galaxy formation simulations and a novel prescription for magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) supernova feedback. Our main result is that a galactic dynamo can be seeded and driven by supernova explosions, resulting in magnetic fields whose strength and morphology are consistent with observations. In our model, supernovae supply thermal energy and a low-level magnetic field along with their ejecta. The thermal expansion drives turbulence, which serves a dual role by efficiently mixing the magnetic field into the interstellar medium and amplifying it by means of a turbulent dynamo. The computational prescription for MHD supernova feedback has been implemented within the publicly available ENZO code and is fully described in this paper. This improves upon ENZO 's existing modules for hydrodynamic feedback from stars and active galaxies. We find that the field attains microgauss levels over gigayear timescales throughout the disk. The field also develops a large-scale structure, which appears to be correlated with the disk’s spiral arm density structure. We find that seeding of the galactic dynamo by supernova ejecta predicts a persistent correlation between gas metallicity and magnetic field strength. We also generate all-sky maps of the Faraday rotation measure from the simulation-predicted magnetic field, and we present a direct comparison with observations.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

A MAGNETIC RECONNECTION ORIGIN FOR THE SOFT X-RAY EXCESS IN AN ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEUS

We present a new scenario to explain the soft X-ray excess in an active galactic nucleus (AGN). Magnetic reconnection could happen in a thin layer on the surface of an accretion disk. Electrons are accelerated by a shock wave and turbulence is triggered by magnetic reconnection. Inverse Compton scattering then takes place above the accretion disk, producing soft X-rays. Based on the standard disk model, we estimate the magnetic field strength and the energy released by magnetic reconnection along the accretion disk and find that the luminosity arising from magnetic reconnection is mostly emitted in the inner disk, which is dominated by radiation pressure. We then apply the model to fit the spectra of AGNs with strong soft X-ray excess.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

HALL EFFECT CONTROLLED GAS DYNAMICS IN PROTOPLANETARY DISKS. II. FULL 3D SIMULATIONS TOWARD THE OUTER DISK

We perform three-dimensional stratified shearing-box magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations on the gas dynamics of protoplanetary disks with a net vertical magnetic flux of B {sub z0}. All three nonideal MHD effects, Ohmic resistivity, the Hall effect, and ambipolar diffusion, are included in a self-consistent manner based on equilibrium chemistry. We focus on regions toward outer disk radii, from 5 to 60 AU, where Ohmic resistivity tends to become negligible, ambipolar diffusion dominates over an extended region across the disk height, and the Hall effect largely controls the dynamics near the disk midplane. We find that at around R = 5 AU the system launches a laminar or weakly turbulent magnetocentrifugal wind when the net vertical field B {sub z0} is not too weak. Moreover, the wind is able to achieve and maintain a configuration with reflection symmetry at the disk midplane. The case with anti-aligned field polarity (Ω⋅B{sub z0}<0) is more susceptible to the magnetorotational instability (MRI) when B {sub z0} decreases, leading to an outflow oscillating in radial directions and very inefficient angular momentum transport. At the outer disk around and beyond R = 30 AU, the system shows vigorous MRI turbulence in the surface layer due to far-UV ionization, which efficiently drives disk accretion. The Hall effect affects the stability of the midplane region to the MRI, leading to strong/weak Maxwell stress for aligned/anti-aligned field polarities. Nevertheless, the midplane region is only very weakly turbulent in both cases. Overall, the basic picture is analogous to the conventional layered accretion scenario applied to the outer disk. In addition, we find that the vertical magnetic flux is strongly concentrated into thin, azimuthally extended shells in most of our simulations beyond 15 AU, leading to enhanced radial density variations know as zonal flows. Theoretical implications and observational consequences are briefly discussed.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2019

Generation and stability of structurally imprinted target skyrmions in magnetic multilayers

In this work, Target Skyrmions (TSks) are extended topological spin textures with a constant chirality where the rotation of the z component of the magnetization is larger than π. TSks have topological charge 1 or 0, if the z component of the magnetization M z goes through a rotation of nπwhere n is an odd or even integer, respectively. TSks with a rotation of the z component of up to 4πhave been imaged via high spatial resolution element-specific X-ray imaging. The TSks were generated by weakly coupling 30 nm thin Permalloy (Ni 80 Fe 20 , PY) disks with a 1 μm diameter to asymmetric (Ir 1 nm/Co 1.5 nm/Pt 1 nm) × 7 multilayers that exhibit Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction. The PY disks stabilize the TSks in the multilayers due to reduced stray field energy and enforced circular symmetry from pinning of domain walls at the edges of the disks. Upon applying external magnetic fields, it is the skyrmion core at the center that ensures stability of the TSk, whereas the collapse of the extended structures in the TSk does not depend on the topological charge.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2025

Sensitive dependence on initial conditions in a formation of magnetic vortices

The magnetic vortex exhibits promise as a true random number generator for hardware-based encryption and probabilistic computing due to its stochastic formation of energetically equivalent fourfold degenerate states, characterized by two topologies: polarity and chirality. However, a comprehensive understanding of the stochastic formation of magnetic vortices remains elusive. In this work, we show that the magnetization relaxation in asymmetric Permalloy disks evolves along a pitchfork bifurcation, with both bifurcation paths leading to the formation of magnetic vortices with the same chirality. In the bifurcation, one formation path is always chosen under weak in-plane magnetic fields, ultimately determining the final magnetic vortex state. By delaying the in-plane magnetic field, we quantitatively investigate when the final vortex state is determined and find that it is closely associated with the initial conditions rather than the bifurcation point itself. Our findings provide valuable insights into future spintronic-based encryption and probabilistic computing.

Jeong, Suyeong↗