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At least 55 records · Page 3

Electron-induced massive dynamics of magnetic domain walls

We study the dynamics of domain walls (DWs) in a metallic, ferromagnetic nanowire, focusing on inertial effects on the DW due to interaction with a conduction electron bath. In this work, we develop a Keldysh collective coordinate technique to describe the effect of conduction electrons on rigid magnetic structures. The effective Lagrangian and Langevin equations of motion for a DW are derived microscopically, including the full response kernel which is nonlocal in time. The DW dynamics is described by two collective degrees of freedom: position and tilt angle. The coupled Langevin equations therefore involve two correlated noise sources, leading to a generalized fluctuation-dissipation theorem (FDT). The DW response kernel due to electrons contains two parts: one related to dissipation via FDT and another reactive part. We prove that the latter term leads to a mass for both degrees of freedom, even though the intrinsic bare mass is zero. The electron-induced mass is present even in a clean system without pinning or specifically engineered potentials. The resulting equations of motion contain rich dynamical solutions and point toward a way to control domain wall motion in metals via the electronic system properties. We discuss two observable consequences of the mass, hysteresis in the DW dynamics, and resonant response to ac current.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Real-space observation of fluctuating antiferromagnetic domains

Magnetic domains play a fundamental role in physics of magnetism and its technological applications. Dynamics of antiferromagnetic domains is poorly understood, although antiferromagnets are expected to be extensively used in future electronic devices wherein it determines the stability and operational speed. Dynamics of antiferromagnets also features prominently in the studies of topological quantum matter. Real-space imaging of fluctuating antiferromagnetic domains is therefore highly desired but has never been demonstrated. We use coherent x-ray diffraction to obtain videos of fluctuating micrometer-scale antiferromagnetic domains in Ni 2 MnTeO 6 on time scales from 10 -1 to 10 3 s. In the collinear phase, thermally activated domain wall motion is observed in the vicinity of the Néel temperature. Unexpectedly, the fluctuations persist through the full range of the higher-temperature helical phase. These observations illustrate the high potential significance of the dynamic domain imaging in phase transition studies and in magnetic device research.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Magnetic domain dynamics in an insulating quantum ferromagnet

The statistics and form of avalanches in a driven system reveal the nature of the underlying energy landscape and dynamics. In conventional metallic ferromagnets, eddy-current back action can dominate the dynamics. Here, we study Barkhausen noise in Li(Ho,Y)F 4 , an insulating Ising ferromagnet that cannot sustain eddy currents. In addition, for large avalanches at temperatures approaching the Curie point, we find a symmetric response free of drag effects. In the low-temperature limit, drag effects contribute to the dynamics, which we link to enhanced pinning from local random fields that are enabled by the microscopic dipole-coupled Hamiltonian (the Ising model in transverse field).

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Imaging antiferromagnetic antiphase domain boundaries using magnetic Bragg diffraction phase contrast

Manipulating magnetic domains is essential for many technological applications. Recent breakthroughs in Antiferromagnetic Spintronics brought up novel concepts for electronic device development. Imaging antiferromagnetic domains is of key importance to this field. Unfortunately, some of the basic domain types, such as antiphase domains, cannot be imaged by conventional techniques. Herein, we present a new domain projection imaging technique based on the localization of domain boundaries by resonant magnetic diffraction of coherent X rays. Contrast arises from reduction of the scattered intensity at the domain boundaries due to destructive interference effects. We demonstrate this approach by imaging antiphase domains in a collinear antiferromagnet Fe 2 Mo 3 O 8 , and observe evidence of domain wall interaction with a structural defect. Here, this technique does not involve any numerical algorithms. It is fast, sensitive, produces large-scale images in a single-exposure measurement, and is applicable to a variety of magnetic domain types.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Formation of Complex Spin Textures in Thermally Demagnetized La 0.7 Sr 0.3 Mn O 3 Artificial-Spin-Ice Structures

Artificial spin ices (ASIs) have traditionally been designed such that each nanomagnet possesses a single-domain magnetic configuration that is assumed to be minimally perturbed by interisland dipolar interactions. Using x-ray photoemission electron microscopy to perform magnetic domain imaging, we study thermally demagnetized La 0.7 Sr 0.3 MnO 3 -based brickwork ASI arrays and showed that complex spin textures (CSTs) can be stabilized through an appropriate selection of nanoisland width and interisland spacing. While the width dependence can be explained through the dominance of shape anisotropy in isolated nanoislands, the ASIs we investigate demonstrate a complex dependence on both the nanoisland width and interisland spacing. Micromagnetic simulations reveal that interisland dipolar interactions play a role in the formation of CSTs, which are composed of single- and double-vortex states. Furthermore, energy analysis of the simulations provides an understanding of the system energetics that arises from a delicate balance between intraisland effects (i.e., shape anisotropy and exchange energy) and interisland effects (i.e., dipolar interactions between nearest-neighbor nanoislands).

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Automated imaging of the annihilation of a transverse domain wall in patterned magnetic thin films

Imaging the magnetic domain wall behavior in patterned thin films under external stimuli can enable understanding the underlying energy landscape and the role of local microstructure and defects. We present an automated workflow for in situ Lorentz transmission electron microscopy to image magnetic domain walls at the nanometer length scale and at a time resolution in the sub-millisecond regime—the latter of which is limited by the speed of the available camera. Our workflow is modular and can be broadly applied to various types of in situ experiments, taking us a step closer to the future of autonomous imaging of nanomagnetic films with electron microscopy. Using our workflow, we show the transformation of a transverse domain wall with sub-millisecond time resolution under the application of an in situ transverse magnetic field, a study of whose dynamics are essential in the design of future domain wall mediated spintronic device applications.

Algebraic topology↗

Single domain spectroscopic signatures of a magnetic kagome metal

Magnetic kagome metals host complex electronic states and real-space magnetic textures, but their small and temperature-dependent magnetic domains make experimental access difficult. Here we show that micro-focused circular-dichroic photoemission spectroscopy enables spectroscopic access to individual magnetic domains in the kagome metal DyMn 6 Sn 6 at low temperature. By tuning to element-specific electronic states, we image domain contrast associated with Dy 4f levels and detect corresponding signatures from Mn core states. The energy dependence of the dichroic response is consistent with modeling and indicates ferrimagnetic alignment between Dy and Mn local moments. Measurements of Mn 3d-derived valence bands, supported by first-principles calculations, reveal features related to orbital magnetization. These results establish element- and orbital-resolved spectroscopy of single magnetic domains and enable studies of magnetic textures and electronic structure in complex magnetic quantum materials.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Terrace‐Edge‐Induced Domain Nucleation in Room‐Temperature 2D Magnetic Van Der Waals Heterostructures

Abstract Terrace‐edges, which are step‐like height discontinuities formed during layer stacking or exfoliation, can locally modify magnetic characteristics. Magnetic domain behavior and its structural dependence in a 2D van der Waals (vdW) heterostructure composed of two distinct room‐temperature ferromagnets: Fe 3 GaTe 2 , an intrinsic vdW ferromagnet, and vanadium‐doped WSe 2 , a transition metal dichalcogenide exhibiting defect‐induced magnetism, is investigated. Using magnetic transmission X‐ray microscopy, the formation and annihilation of magnetic domains are directly observed and it is found that domains preferentially form at terrace‐edges of the heterostructure. Micromagnetic simulations reveal that in‐plane magnetization tilting near the terrace‐edge results in a localized maximum in total magnetic energy that promotes domain formation. The findings highlight the significant role of structural edge features and interfacial magnetic interactions in determining domain formation in hybrid 2D vdW magnetic systems, offering a new route to spatially controlled magnetization at room temperature.

Lee, Jieun↗