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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 73 records · Page 4
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2020

Enhancing easy-plane anisotropy in bespoke Ni(II) quantum magnets

We examine the crystal structures and magnetic properties of several S = 1 Ni(II) coordination compounds, molecules and polymers, that include the bridging ligands HF 2 - , A F 6 2- ( A = Ti, Zr) and pyrazine or non-bridging ligands F - , SiF 6 2- , glycine, H 2 O, 1-vinylimidazole, 4-methylpyrazole and 3-hydroxypyridine. Pseudo-octahedral NiN 4 F 2 , NiN 4 O 2 or NiN 4 OF cores consist of equatorial Ni-N bonds that are equal to or slightly longer than the axial Ni- L ax bonds. By design, the zero-field splitting ( D ) is large in these systems and, in the presence of substantial exchange interactions ( J ), can be difficult to discriminate from magnetometry measurements on powder samples. Thus, we relied on pulsed-field magnetization in those cases and employed electron-spin resonance (ESR) to confirm D when J ← D . The anisotropy of each compound was found to be easy-plane ( D > 0) and range from ≈ 8–25 K. This work reveals a linear correlation between the ratio d (Ni- L ax )/ d (Ni-N eq ) and D although the ligand spectrochemical properties may play an important role. We assert that this relationship allows us to predict the type of magnetocrystalline anisotropy in tailored Ni(II) quantum magnets.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2021

Melting phase diagram of bubble phases in high Landau levels

A low-disorder, two-dimensional electron system (2DES) subjected to a large perpendicular magnetic field and cooled to very low temperatures provides a rich platform for studies of many-body quantum phases. The magnetic field quenches the electrons' kinetic energy and quantizes the energy into a set of Landau levels, allowing the Coulomb interaction to dominate. In excited Landau levels, the fine interplay between short- and long-range interactions stabilizes bubble phases, Wigner crystals with more than one electron per unit cell. In this work, we present the screening properties of bubble phases, probed via a simple capacitance technique where the 2DES is placed between a top and a bottom gate and the electric field penetrating through the 2DES is measured. The bubbles formed at very low temperatures screen the electric field poorly as they are pinned by the residual disorder potential, allowing a large electric field to reach the top gate. As the temperature is increased, the penetrating electric field decreases and, surprisingly, exhibits a pronounced minimum at a temperature that appears to coincide with the melting temperature of the bubble phase. We deduce a quantitative phase diagram, as a function of Landau level filling factor (ν) and temperature, for the transition from the bubble to liquid phases for 4 ≤ ν ≤ 5.

2-dimensional systems↗
DOE OSTI2021

Giant low-field magnetocaloric effect and refrigerant capacity in reduced dimensionality EuTiO 3 multiferroics

Engineering magnetic materials into a thin film form while preserving its excellent magnetocaloric response is essential in the development of miniature magnetic coolers. We demonstrate how this can be achieved in the case of EuTiO 3 - an emerging multiferroic material. Unlike conventional cases where reduced dimensionality considerably decreased the magnetic entropy change (ΔS M ) and hence the refrigerant capacity (RC), we show the large low-field enhancements of ΔS M and RC in a ~100 nm thick nanocrystalline EuTiO 3 film (ΔS M ~ 24 J kg -1 K -1 and RC = 152 J kg -1 for μ 0 ΔH = 2T) relative to its single crystal counterpart (ΔS M ~ 17 J kg -1 K -1 and RC ~ 107 J kg -1 for μ 0 ΔH = 2T). The nanocrystalline EuTiO 3 film is an excellent candidate for cryogenic magnetic refrigeration. From our study, a new approach for improving both MCE and RC in magnetic nanomaterials is proposed, which will stimulate further research on magnetocaloric thin films and related cooling devices.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Field-free spin-orbit torque switching assisted by in-plane unconventional spin torque in ultrathin [Pt/Co] N

Electrical manipulation of magnetization without an external magnetic field is critical for the development of advanced non-volatile magnetic-memory technology that can achieve high memory density and low energy consumption. Several recent studies have revealed efficient out-of-plane spin-orbit torques (SOTs) in a variety of materials for field-free type-z SOT switching. Here, we report on the corresponding type-x configuration, showing significant in-plane unconventional spin polarizations from sputtered ultrathin [Pt/Co] N , which are either highly textured on single crystalline MgO substrates or randomly textured on SiO 2 coated Si substrates. The unconventional spin currents generated in the low-dimensional Co films result from the strong orbital magnetic moment, which has been observed by X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) measurement. The x-polarized spin torque efficiency reaches up to −0.083 and favors complete field-free switching of CoFeB magnetized along the in-plane charge current direction. Micromagnetic simulations additionally demonstrate its lower switching current than type-y switching, especially in narrow current pulses. Our work provides additional pathways for electrical manipulation of spintronic devices in the pursuit of high-speed, high-density, and low-energy non-volatile memory.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2021

High-energy magnetic excitations from heavy quasiparticles in CeCu 2 Si 2

Magnetic fluctuations is the leading candidate for pairing in cuprate, iron-based, and heavy fermion superconductors. This view is challenged by the recent discovery of nodeless superconductivity in CeCu 2 Si 2 , and calls for a detailed understanding of the corresponding magnetic fluctuations. Here, we mapped out the magnetic excitations in superconducting (S-type) CeCu 2 Si 2 using inelastic neutron scattering, finding a strongly asymmetric dispersion for E ≲ 1.5 meV, which at higher energies evolves into broad columnar magnetic excitations that extend to E ≳ 5 meV. While low-energy magnetic excitations exhibit marked three-dimensional characteristics, the high-energy magnetic excitations in CeCu 2 Si 2 are almost two-dimensional, reminiscent of paramagnons found in cuprate and iron-based superconductors. By comparing our experimental findings with calculations in the random-phase approximation, we find that the magnetic excitations in CeCu 2 Si 2 arise from quasiparticles associated with its heavy electron band, which are also responsible for superconductivity. Our results provide a basis for understanding magnetism and superconductivity in CeCu 2 Si 2 , and demonstrate the utility of neutron scattering in probing band renormalization in heavy fermion metals.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2020

Correlation-driven eightfold magnetic anisotropy in a two-dimensional oxide monolayer

Engineering magnetic anisotropy in two-dimensional systems has enormous scientific and technological implications. The uniaxial anisotropy universally exhibited by two-dimensional magnets has only two stable spin directions, demanding 180° spin switching between states. We demonstrate a previously unobserved eightfold anisotropy in magnetic SrRuO 3 monolayers by inducing a spin reorientation in (SrRuO 3 ) 1 /(SrTiO 3 ) N superlattices, in which the magnetic easy axis of Ru spins is transformed from uniaxial $\langle 001 \rangle$ direction ( N < 3) to eightfold $\langle 111 \rangle$ directions ( N ≥ 3). This eightfold anisotropy enables 71° and 109° spin switching in SrRuO 3 monolayers, analogous to 71° and 109° polarization switching in ferroelectric BiFeO 3 . First-principle calculations reveal that increasing the SrTiO 3 layer thickness induces an emergent correlation-driven orbital ordering, tuning spin-orbit interactions and reorienting the SrRuO 3 monolayer easy axis. Our work demonstrates that correlation effects can be exploited to substantially change spin-orbit interactions, stabilizing unprecedented properties in two-dimensional magnets and opening rich opportunities for low-power, multistate device applications.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2021

Low-energy spin dynamics in rare-earth perovskite oxides

We review recent studies of spin dynamics in rare-earth orthorhombic perovskite oxides of the type RMO 3 , where R is a rare-earth ion and M is a transition-metal ion, using single-crystal inelastic neutron scattering (INS). After a short introduction to the magnetic INS technique in general, the results of INS experiments on both transition-metal and rare-earth subsystems for four selected compounds (YbFeO 3 , TmFeO 3 , YFeO 3 , YbAlO 3 ) are presented. We show that the spectrum of magnetic excitations consists of two types of collective modes that are well separated in energy: gapped magnons with a typical bandwidth of <70 meV, associated with the antiferromagnetically (AFM) ordered transition-metal subsystem, and AFM fluctuations of <5 meV within the rare-earth subsystem, with no hybridization of those modes. We discuss the high-energy conventional magnon excitations of the 3d subsystem only briefly, and focus in more detail on the spectacular dynamics of the rare-earth sublattice in these materials. We observe that the nature of the ground state and the low-energy excitation strongly depends on the identity of the rare-earth ion. In the case of non-Kramers ions, the low-symmetry crystal field completely eliminates the degeneracy of the multiplet state, creating a rich magnetic field-temperature phase diagram. In the case of Kramers ions, the resulting ground state is at least a doublet, which can be viewed as an effective quantum spin-1/2. Equally important is the fact that in Yb-based materials the nearest-neighbor exchange interaction dominates in one direction, despite the three-dimensional nature of the orthoperovskite crystal structure. The observation of a fractional spinon continuum and quantum criticality in YbAlO3 demonstrates that Kramers rare-earth based magnets can provide realizations of various aspects of quantum low-dimensional physics.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2024

Spin disorder control of topological spin texture

Abstract Stabilization of topological spin textures in layered magnets has the potential to drive the development of advanced low-dimensional spintronics devices. However, achieving reliable and flexible manipulation of the topological spin textures beyond skyrmion in a two-dimensional magnet system remains challenging. Here, we demonstrate the introduction of magnetic iron atoms between the van der Waals gap of a layered magnet, Fe 3 GaTe 2 , to modify local anisotropic magnetic interactions. Consequently, we present direct observations of the order-disorder skyrmion lattices transition. In addition, non-trivial topological solitons, such as skyrmioniums and skyrmion bags, are realized at room temperature. Our work highlights the influence of random spin control of non-trivial topological spin textures.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Unconventional Hall response in the quantum limit of HfTe 5

Interacting electrons confined to their lowest Landau level in a high magnetic field can form a variety of correlated states, some of which manifest themselves in a Hall effect. Although such states have been predicted to occur in three-dimensional semimetals, a corresponding Hall response has not yet been experimentally observed. Here, we report the observation of an unconventional Hall response in the quantum limit of the bulk semimetal HfTe 5 , adjacent to the three-dimensional quantum Hall effect of a single electron band at low magnetic fields. The additional plateau-like feature in the Hall conductivity of the lowest Landau level is accompanied by a Shubnikov-de Haas minimum in the longitudinal electrical resistivity and its magnitude relates as 3/5 to the height of the last plateau of the three-dimensional quantum Hall effect. Our findings are consistent with strong electron-electron interactions, stabilizing an unconventional variant of the Hall effect in a three-dimensional material in the quantum limit.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2025

Magnetically and optically active edges in phosphorene nanoribbons

Abstract Nanoribbons, nanometre-wide strips of a two-dimensional material, are a unique system in condensed matter. They combine the exotic electronic structures of low-dimensional materials with an enhanced number of exposed edges, where phenomena including ultralong spin coherence times 1,2 , quantum confinement 3 and topologically protected states 4,5 can emerge. An exciting prospect for this material concept is the potential for both a tunable semiconducting electronic structure and magnetism along the nanoribbon edge, a key property for spin-based electronics such as (low-energy) non-volatile transistors 6 . Here we report the magnetic and semiconducting properties of phosphorene nanoribbons (PNRs). We demonstrate that at room temperature, films of PNRs show macroscopic magnetic properties arising from their edge, with internal fields of roughly 240 to 850 mT. In solution, a giant magnetic anisotropy enables the alignment of PNRs at sub-1-T fields. By leveraging this alignment effect, we discover that on photoexcitation, energy is rapidly funnelled to a state that is localized to the magnetic edge and coupled to a symmetry-forbidden edge phonon mode. Our results establish PNRs as a fascinating system for studying the interplay between magnetism and semiconducting ground states at room temperature and provide a stepping-stone towards using low-dimensional nanomaterials in quantum electronics.

Science & Technology - Other Topics↗
DOE OSTI2020

Block–spiral magnetism: An exotic type of frustrated order

Significance Magnetic frustration in spin or electronic models emerges from the failure of the system to fulfill simultaneously conflicting local requirements. The latter typically arise from the lattice geometry or are induced by special spin–spin interactions in the system at various distances. Here we show that the competing energy scales of the seemingly nonfrustrated orbital-selective Mott phase of the low-dimensional multiorbital Hubbard model can originate a “block–chiral magnetism,” i.e., a state with rigidly rotating spin–magnetic islands. Furthermore, we show how such an exotic spin state influences the electronic properties of the system, revealing parity-breaking quasiparticles.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2025

Spin excitations and dynamics in 2D magnets: An overview of magnons and magnetic skyrmions

van der Waals magnetic materials open up exciting possibilities to investigate fundamental spin properties in low-dimensional systems and to build compact functional spintronic structures. This review focuses on the recent progress in two-dimensional (2D) magnets that explore beyond the homogenous magnetically ordered state, including magnons (spin waves), magnetic skyrmions, and complex magnetic domains. Properties of these spin and topology excitations in 2D magnets provide insights into spin-orbit interactions and other forms of coupling between electrons, phonons, and spin-dependent excitations. Such spin-based quasiparticles can also serve as information carriers for next-generation high-speed computing elements. Furthermore, we will first lay out the general theoretical basis of dynamical responses in magnetic systems, followed by detailed descriptions of experimental progress in magnons and spin textures (including magnetic domains and skyrmions). Discussion on the experimental techniques and future perspectives are also included.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2021

Built-in electric field control of magnetic coupling in van der Waals semiconductors

Electrical control of magnetism in a two-dimensional (2D) semiconductor is of great interest for emerging nanoscale low-dissipation spintronic devices. Here, we propose a general approach of tuning magnetic coupling and anisotropy of a van der Waals (vdW) 2D magnetic semiconductor via a built-in electric field generated by the adsorption of superatomic ions. Using first-principles calculations, we predict a significant enhancement of ferromagnetic coupling and a great change of magnetic anisotropy in 2D semiconductors when they are sandwiched between superatomic cations and anions. The magnetic coupling is directly affected by the built-in electric field, which lifts the energy levels of mediated ligands' orbitals and enhances the superexchange interactions. Finally, these findings will be of interest for ionic gating controlled ferromagnets and magnetoelectronics based on vdW 2D semiconductors.

2-dimensional systems↗
DOE OSTI2021

The magnetic structure of long-wavelength magnetohydrodynamic modes in current-carrying stellarator plasmas

Magnetic field fluctuations are observed in current-carrying stellarator plasmas when the rotational transform is close to a rational value at the edge of the plasma. At low plasma pressure, these fluctuations are associated with perturbed currents parallel to the equilibrium magnetic field lines. A model for these magnetohydrodynamic modes in a low-β, three-dimensional stellarator equilibria has been developed. A set of helical current filaments are constrained to mimic the structure of magnetic field lines on rational surfaces derived from three-dimensional (3D) equilibrium reconstructions. Transformation to straight field line coordinates then allows fitting of the poloidal magnetic sensor data to a single harmonic function, which fixes the modeled toroidal mode structure via the field line flow geometry. The developed procedure accurately captures phase and amplitude variation for m/n = 3/2, 3/1, and 4/1 modes in the 3D equilibria of the compact toroidal hybrid experiment.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2021

High-Pressure Synthesis of Bulk Cobalt Cementite, Co 3 C

Transition metal carbides find use in a wide range of advanced high-resilience applications including high-strength steels, heat shields, and deep-earth drills. However, carbides of the mid-to-late transition metals remain difficult to isolate and characterize on account of their metastability, which precludes the preparation of high-quality bulk single crystal samples using traditional solid-state methods. Herein, we report a combined computational and experimental survey of the cobalt-carbon binary system under high pressures and demonstrate that pressure offers a route toward the bulk synthesis of the metastable cementite-type cobalt carbide, Co 3 C, which under ambient conditions can only be prepared in low-dimensional thin film or nanoparticle forms. First-principles calculations reveal two competitive low-energy stoichiometric phases under ambient pressures - Pnnm-Co 2 C (Fe 2 C-type) and Pnma-Co 3 C (Fe 3 Ctype) - consistent with the known low-dimensional phases that have been studied for their promising magnetic properties. However, the calculated formation enthalpy of Pnma-Co 3 C decreases steadily with the applied pressure, while that of Pnnm-Co 2 C increases. Here, we pursue these results using high-pressure laser-heated synthesis methods coupled with in situ X-ray diffraction and observe the formation of Pnma-Co 3 C above 4.8 GPa. We determine the experimental bulk modulus of Co 3 C to be K o = 237 GPa (K p = 4.0). First-principles calculations of the phonon modes in Co 3 C reveal dynamical instabilities at ambient pressure that are absent under compression. These results offer a promising new route for the synthesis of rare-earth-free magnets.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2026

Benchmark for two-dimensional large scale coherent structures in partially magnetized E × B plasmas—community collaboration & lessons learned

Low-temperature plasmas (LTPs) are essential to both fundamental scientific research and critical industrial applications. As in many areas of science, numerical simulations have become a vital tool for uncovering new physical phenomena and guiding technological development. Code benchmarking remains crucial for verifying implementations and evaluating performance. This work continues the Landmark benchmark initiative, a series specifically designed to support the verification of LTP codes. In this study, seventeen simulation codes from a collaborative community of nineteen international institutions modeled a partially magnetized E × B Penning discharge. The emergence of large scale coherent structures, or rotating plasma spokes, endows this configuration with an enormous range of time scales, making it particularly challenging to simulate. The codes showed excellent agreement on the rotation frequency of the spoke as well as key plasma properties, including time-averaged ion density, plasma potential, and electron temperature profiles. Achieving this level of agreement came with challenges, and we share lessons learned on how to conduct future benchmarking campaigns. Comparing code implementations, computational hardware, and simulation runtimes also revealed interesting trends, which are summarized with the aim of guiding future plasma simulation software development.

benchmarking↗
DOE OSTI2025

Combining molecular beam epitaxy and low-energy electron microscopy with in situ magnetic susceptibility measurements within an integrated ultrahigh vacuum system

Quantum two-dimensional materials, including ultrathin superconducting films, are of great current research interest. These films are typically fabricated under ultra-high vacuum (UHV) conditions and are sensitive to the environment—prone to oxidation and contamination when exposed to the atmosphere. This hampers the study of their intrinsic properties by standard ex situ techniques. Here, we present a variable-temperature mutual inductance probe system integrated under UHV with molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) synthesis and low-energy electron microscopy, enabling nondestructive in situ characterization of superconducting thin films. The system employs a reflection-type configuration and reaches a low temperature (∼4 K) using a high-cooling-power, vibration-isolated cryocooler. In conclusion, we demonstrate the system performance by measuring the superconducting critical temperature in a copper-oxide thin film.

2D materials↗
DOE OSTI2026

Quasi-One-Dimensional Spin Excitations in the Iron Pnictide NaFe 0.53 ⁢Cu 0.47 ⁢As

Spectroscopic measurements in model 1D correlated systems offer insights for understanding their two-dimensional counterparts, which include the cuprate and iron pnictide/chalcogenide superconductors. A major challenge is the identification of such correlated systems with dominantly 1D physics. Here, in this Letter, inelastic neutron scattering measurements on NaFe 0.53⁢ Cu 0.47 ⁢As single crystal directly reveal quasi-1D spin excitations, resulting from atomic order that leads to magnetic Fe and nonmagnetic Cu chains. The dominant exchange interaction is antiferromagnetic along the chain [𝑆⁢𝐽 ∥ ≈ 90.1⁢(3) meV], whereas the inter-chain couplings are much weaker [𝑆⁢𝐽 ⊥ ≈ −2.4⁢(1) meV and 𝑆⁢𝐽 c ≈ 0.15⁢(5) meV]. The quasi-1D spin excitations in NaFe 0.53 ⁢Cu 0.47⁢ As stem from both the Néel and stripe vectors, with Néel excitations sensitive to Fe impurities on the Cu site. The spin excitations in quasi-1D NaFe 0.53 ⁢Cu 0.47⁢ As and quasi-2D FeSe exhibit a striking resemblance, suggesting a common origin for their coexistent stripe and Néel excitations. Our findings demonstrate magnetic dilution in NaFeAs leads to dimension reduction of its magnetic degree of freedom, presenting a strategy for discovering low-dimensional quantum materials.

Wang, Yifan [Zhejiang Univ., Hangzhou (China)]↗