Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “MAGNETIC INSULATION”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 1,333 records · Page 74
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2018

Neutron scattering investigation of rhenium orbital ordering in the 3 d – 5 d double perovskite Ca 2 FeReO 6

Here, we have carried out inelastic neutron scattering experiments to study magnetic excitations in the ordered double perovskite Ca 2 FeReO 6 . We have found a well-defined magnon mode with a bandwidth of ~50 meV below the ferrimagnetic ordering temperature ( T c ~ 520 K), similar to the previously studied Ba 2 FeReO 6 . The spin excitation is gapless for most temperatures within the magnetically ordered phase. However, a spin gap of ~10 meV opens up below ~150 K, which is well below the magnetic ordering temperature but coincides with a previously reported metal-insulator transition and onset of structural distortion. The observed temperature dependence of the spin gap provides strong evidence for ordering of Re orbitals at ~150 K, in accordance with an earlier proposal put forward by K. Oikawa et al. based on neutron diffraction as well as recent theoretical work by Lee and Marianetti. The presence of separate orbital and magnetic ordering in Ca 2 FeReO 6 suggests weak coupling between spin and orbital degrees of freedom and hints at a subdominant role played by spin-orbit coupling in describing its magnetism. In addition, we observed only one well-defined magnon band near the magnetic zone boundary, which is incompatible with simple ferrimagnetic spin waves arising from Fe and Re local moments but suggests a strong damping of the Re magnon mode.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2022

Magnetic dilution effect and topological phase transitions in (Mn 1- x Pb x )Bi 2 Te 4

We report, as the first intrinsic antiferromagnetic topological insulator, MnBi 2 Te 4 has provided a material platform to realize various emergent phenomena arising from the interplay of magnetism and band topology. Here, by investigating (Mn 1-x Pb x )Bi 2 Te 4 (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.82) single crystals via the x-ray, electrical transport, magnetometry and neutron measurements, chemical analysis, external pressure, and first-principles calculations, we reveal the magnetic dilution effect on the magnetism and band topology in MnBi 2 Te 4 . With increasing x, both lattice parameters a and c expand linearly by around 2%. All samples undergo the paramagnetic to A-type antiferromagnetic transition with the Néel temperature decreasing lineally from 24 K at x = 0 to 2 K at x = 0.82. Our neutron data refinement of the x = 0.37 sample indicates that the ordered moment is 4.3(1)μ B /Mn at 4.85 K and the amount of the Mn Bi antisites is negligible within the error bars. Isothermal magnetization data reveal a slight decrease of the interlayer plane-plane antiferromagnetic exchange interaction and a monotonic decrease of the magnetic anisotropy due to diluting magnetic ions and enlarging the unit cell. For x = 0.37, the application of external pressures enhances the interlayer antiferromagnetic coupling, boosting the Néel temperature at a rate of 1.4 K/GPa and the saturation field at a rate of 1.8 T/GPa. Furthermore, our first-principles calculations reveal that the band inversion in the two end materials, MnBi 2 Te 4 and PbBi 2 Te 4 , occurs at the Γ and Z point, respectively, while two gapless points appear at x = 0.44 and x = 0.66, suggesting possible topological phase transitions with doping.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2025

Enhanced ferromagnetism in monolayer Cr 2 Te 3 via topological insulator coupling

Exchange-coupled interfaces are pivotal in exploiting two-dimensional (2D) ferromagnetism. Due to the extraordinary correlations among charge, spin, orbital and lattice degrees of freedom, layered magnetic transition metal chalcogenides (TMCs) bode well for exotic topological phenomena. Here we report the realization of wafer-scale Cr 2 Te 3 down to monolayer (ML) on insulating SrTiO 3 (111) and/or Al 2 O 3 (001) substrates using molecular beam epitaxy. Robust ferromagnetism persists in the 2D limit. In particular, the Curie temperature T C of 2 ML Cr 2 Te 3 increases from 100 K to ∼120 K when proximitized to topological insulator (TI) (Bi,Sb) 2 Te 3 , with substantially boosted magnetization as observed via polarized neutron reflectometry. Our experiments and theory strongly indicate that the Bloembergen–Rowland interaction is likely universal underlying T C enhancement in TI-coupled magnetic heterostructures. The topological-surface-enhanced magnetism in 2D TMC enables further exchange coupling physics and quantum hybrid studies, including paving the way to realize interface-modulated topological electronics.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2011

Atom chip microscopy: A novel probe for strongly correlated materials

Improved measurements of strongly correlated systems will enable the predicative design of the next generation of supermaterials. In this program, we are harnessing recent advances in the quantum manipulation of ultracold atomic gases to expand our ability to probe these technologically important materials in heretofore unexplored regions of temperature, resolution, and sensitivity parameter space. We are working to demonstrate the use of atom chips to enable single-shot, large area detection of magnetic flux at the 10 -7 flux quantum (Φ 0 ) level and below. By harnessing the extreme sensitivity of atomic clocks and Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) to external perturbations, the cryogenic atom chip technology developed here will provide a magnetic flux detection capability that surpasses other techniques---such as scanning SQUIDs---by a factor of 10 1 --10 3 . We are testing the utility of this technique by using rubidium BECs to image the magnetic fields emanating from charge transport and magnetic domain percolation in strongly correlated materials as they undergo temperature-tuned metal--to--insulator phase transitions. Cryogenic atom chip microscopy introduces three very important features to the toolbox of high-resolution, strongly correlated material microscopy: simultaneous detection of magnetic and electric fields (down to the sub-single electron charge level); no invasive large magnetic fields or gradients; simultaneous micro- and macroscopic spatial resolution; freedom from 1/f flicker noise at low frequencies; and, perhaps most importantly, the complete decoupling of probe and sample temperatures. The first of these features will play an important role in studying the interplay between magnetic and electric domain structure. The last two are crucial for low frequency magnetic noise detection in, e.g., the cuprate pseudogap region and for precision measurements of transport in the high temperature, technologically relevant regime inaccessible to other techniques based on superconducting scanning probes. In periods 1--3 of this grant, which we now close at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and restart at Stanford University where our new lab is being built, we have demonstrated the ability to rapidly create Rb BECs and trap them within microns of a surface in a cryostat. Period 4 of this grant, to be performed at Stanford, will demonstrate the feasibility of using atom chips with a BEC to image transport features on a cryogenically cooled surface. Successful demonstration, in future funding cycles, will lead directly to the use of system for studies of transport in exotic and technologically relevant materials such as cuprate superconductors and topological insulators.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2012

Understanding and Controlling Complex States Arising From Magnetic Frustration

Much of our national security relies on capabilities made possible by magnetism, in particular the ability to compute and store huge bodies of information as well as to move things and sense the world. Most of these technologies exploit ferromagnetism, i.e. the global parallel alignment of magnetic spins as seen in a bar magnet. Recent advances in computing technologies, such as spintronics and MRAM, take advantage of antiferromagnetism where the magnetic spins alternate from one to the next. In certain crystal structures, however, the spins take on even more complex arrangements. These are often created by frustration, where the interactions between spins cannot be satisfied locally or globally within the material resulting in complex and often non-coplanar spin textures. Frustration also leads to the close proximity of many different magnetic states, which can be selected by small perturbations in parameters like magnetic fields, temperature and pressure. It is this tunability that makes frustrated systems fundamentally interesting and highly desirable for applications. We move beyond frustration in insulators to itinerant systems where the interaction between mobile electrons and the non-coplanar magnetic states lead to quantum magneto-electric amplification. Here a small external field is amplified by many orders of magnitude by non-coplanar frustrated states. This greatly enhances their sensitivity and opens broader fields for applications. Our objective is to pioneer a new direction for condensed matter science at the Laboratory as well as for international community by discovering, understanding and controlling states that emerge from the coupling of itinerant charges to frustrated spin textures.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2016

Charge ordering in Ni 1 + / Ni 2 + nickelates: La 4 Ni 3 O 8 and La 3 Ni 2 O 6

Ab initio calculations allow us to establish a close connection between the Ruddlesden-Popper layered nickelates and cuprates not only in terms of filling of d levels (close to d 9 ) but also because they show Ni 1+ (S = 1/2)/Ni 2+ (S = 0) stripe ordering. We obtained the insulating charge-ordered ground state from a combination of structural distortions and magnetic order. The Ni 2+ ions are in a low-spin configuration (S = 0) yielding an antiferromagnetic arrangement of Ni 1+ S = 1/2 ions like the long-sought spin-1/2 antiferromagnetic insulator analog of the cuprate parent materials. Furthermore, the analogy extends further with the main contribution to the bands near the Fermi energy coming from hybridized Ni d $_x$ 2- $_y$ 2 and O $p$ states.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2023

Anomalous magnetoresistance by breaking ice rule in Bi2Ir2O7/Dy2Ti2O7 heterostructure

Abstract While geometrically frustrated quantum magnets host rich exotic spin states with potentials for revolutionary quantum technologies, most of them are necessarily good insulators which are difficult to be integrated with modern electrical circuit. The grand challenge is to electrically detect the emergent fluctuations and excitations by introducing charge carriers that interact with the localized spins without destroying their collective spin states. Here, we show that, by designing a Bi 2 Ir 2 O 7 /Dy 2 Ti 2 O 7 heterostructure, the breaking of the spin-ice rule in insulating Dy 2 Ti 2 O 7 leads to a charge response in the conducting Bi 2 Ir 2 O 7 measured as anomalous magnetoresistance during the field-induced Kagome ice-to-saturated ice transition. The magnetoresistive anomaly also captures the characteristic angular and temperature dependence of this ice-rule-breaking transition, which has been understood as magnetic monopole condensation. These results demonstrate a novel heteroepitaxial approach for electronically probing the transition between exotic insulating spin states, laying out a blueprint for the metallization of frustrated quantum magnets.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Giant Doping Response of Magnetic Anisotropy in MnTe

Developing simple ways to control spin states in spintronic devices is a crucial step towards increasing their functionality. MnTe is a room-temperature antiferromagnet with promising spintronic properties, including for thermospintronics and magnon-based devices. Here, we show that, in MnTe, less than 1% Li is sufficient to produce a dramatic spin reorientation as observed by neutron diffraction. The behavior of the 0001 magnetic Bragg peak reveals a significant reorientation of the Mn spins from planar in the pure material to almost completely axial with minimal Li doping. Temperature dependence of the magnetic peaks in Li-doped samples indicates that axial spins shift back to planar suddenly upon approaching the Néel temperature (T N = 307 K). Density functional theory calculations support the idea that a shift in the Fermi level caused by doping is responsible for switching the material between two competing magnetic ground states. These results pave the way for developing easy switching of magnetic states in functional materials such as spintronic devices and topological insulators.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2018

Enhancement of Thermopower by Structural Asymmetry in Double-Barrier Tunnel Junctions

Thermopower is studied in double-barrier magnetic tunnel junctions (DBMTJs) with a non-magnetic metal (NM) spacer by considering structural asymmetry—related to the different thicknesses of the MgO insulators—in the linear response regime. Using non-equilibrium Green’s function (NEGF) formalism, it is found that the thermopower is larger in the case with thicker left insulator than the other cases which is related to the voltage drop within the insulator layer. The thermopower has shown its maximum value as large as S = 482μ V/K in the anti-parallel configuration of the magnetizations and T = 300K. Therefore, it is possible to achieve the large thermopower in the thermoelectric devices based on MTJs.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2018

DEVELOPMENT OF A 300 KV DC HIGH VOLTAGE PHOTOGUN AND BEAM BASED STUDIES OF ALKALI NTIMONIDE PHOTOCATHODES

To advance magnetized gun research in the United States, a compact DC high voltage photogun with inverted-insulator geometry was designed, built, and operated reliably at 300 kV bias voltage using alkali-antimonide photocathodes. This photogun will provide a magnetized electron beam for the future Jefferson Lab Electron-Ion Collider (JLEIC) cooler. This research describes key electrostatic design features of the photogun and evaluates the performance of the in-house fabricated photocathodes and the quality of the electron beams. The thermal emittance of the electron beam was measured with various conditions: differ?ent gun bias voltages, different laser spot sizes, and photocathodes with different substrate materials. It has been hypothesized that the photocathode surface roughness affects the quality of the photocathodes and the electron beam produced, which is directly related to the thickness of the antimony layer of the photocathode. This effect was studied experimen?tally for both the beam emittance and photocathode quantum efficiency lifetime, and the measurements indicate that the beam emittance is largely independent of the antimony layer thickness, and the lifetime benefits from a thick layer. The ion bombardment always poses a problem for the photocathodes during high current beam operations. An effective way to repel the beam-induced ions was identified and implemented, and a sustainable 28 mA beam was achieved from the gun. This thesis presents a good performance of the photogun, a remarkable quantum efficiency lifetime of the photocathodes and a low emittance of the electron beam.

Wang, Yan↗
DOE OSTI2019

Interlayer RKKY coupling in bulk Rashba semiconductors under topological phase transition

The bulk Rashba semiconductors BiTeX (X=I, Cl and Br) with intrinsically enhanced Rashba spin-orbit coupling provide a new platform for investigation of spintronic and magnetic phenomena in materials. We theoretically investigate the interlayer exchange interaction between two ferromagnets deposited on opposite surfaces of a bulk Rashba semiconductor BiTeI in its trivial and topological insulator phases. In the trivial phase BiTeI, we find that for ferromagnets with a magnetization orthogonal to the interface, the exchange coupling is reminiscent of that of a conventional three-dimensional metal. Remarkably, ferromagnets with a magnetization parallel to the interface display a magnetic exchange qualitatively different from that of conventional three-dimensional metal due to the spin-orbit coupling. In this case, the interlayer exchange interaction acquires two periods of oscillations and decays as the inverse of the thickness of the BiTeI layer. For topological BiTeI, the magnetic exchange interaction becomes mediated only by the helical surface states and acts between the one-dimensional spin chains at the edges of the sample. The surface state-mediated interlayer exchange interaction allows for the coupling of ferromagnets with non-collinear magnetization and displays a decay power different from that of trivial BiTeI, allowing the detection of the topological phase transition in this material. Our work provides insights into the magnetic properties of these newly discovered materials and their possible functionalization.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2019

Magnetoelectric control of topological phases in graphene

Topological antiferromagnetic (AFM) spintronics is an emerging field of research, which involves the topological electronic states coupled to the AFM order parameter known as the Néel vector. The control of these states is envisioned through manipulation of the Néel vector by spin-orbit torques driven by electric currents. In this work, we present a different approach favorable for low-power AFM spintronics, where the control of the topological states in a two-dimensional material, such as graphene, is performed via the proximity effect by the voltage induced switching of the Néel vector in an adjacent magnetoelectric AFM insulator, such as chromia. Mediated by the symmetry protected boundary magnetization and the induced Rashba-type spin-orbit coupling at the interface between graphene and chromia, the emergent topological phases in graphene can be controlled by the Néel vector. Using density functional theory and tight-binding Hamiltonian approaches, we model a graphene / Cr 2 O 3 (0001) interface and demonstrate nontrivial band gap openings in the graphene Dirac bands asymmetric between the K and K ' valleys. This gives rise to an unconventional quantum anomalous Hall effect (QAHE) with a quantized value of 2 e 2 / h and an additional steplike feature at a value close to e 2 / 2 h , and the emergence of the spin-polarized valley Hall effect (VHE). Additionally, depending on the Néel vector orientation, we predict the appearance and transformation of different topological phases in graphene across the 180° AFM domain wall, involving the QAHE, the valley-polarized QAHE, and the quantum VHE, and the emergence of the chiral edge states along the domain wall. These topological properties are controlled by voltage through magnetoelectric switching of the AFM insulator with no need for spin-orbit torques.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2018

Inducing Kondo screening of vacancy magnetic moments in graphene with gating and local curvature

In normal metals the magnetic moment of impurity-spins disappears below a characteristic Kondo temperature which marks the formation of a cloud of conduction-band electrons that screen the local-moment. In contrast, moments embedded in insulators remain unscreened at all temperatures. What then is the fate of magnetic-moments in intermediate, pseudogap systems, such as graphene? Theory predicts that coupling to the conduction-band electrons will drive a quantum phase transition between a local-moment phase and a Kondo-screened phase. However, attempts to experimentally confirm this prediction and its intriguing consequences, such as electrostatically tunable magnetic-moments, have been elusive. Here we report the observation of Kondo-screening and the quantum phase-transition between screened and unscreened phases of vacancy magnetic moments in graphene. Using scanning tunneling spectroscopy and numerical renormalization-group calculations we show that this transition enables to control the screening of local moments by tuning the gate voltage and the local curvature of the graphene membrane.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Magnetic field induced partially polarized chiral spin liquid in a transition metal dichalcogenide moiré system

As one of the most intriguing states of matter, the chiral spin liquid (CSL) has attracted much scientific interest while its existence and mechanism in crystalline strongly correlated systems remain hotly debated. On the other hand, strong correlation driven emergent phenomena can be realized in twisted transition metal dichalcogenide bilayers with a tremendously tunable large length scale providing a new platform for the emergence of CSLs. Here, we focus on a strongly correlated model relevant to heterobilayer WSe 2 /MoSe 2 and investigate the Mott insulating phase at half filling under an out-of-plane magnetic field. Considering both its orbital and spin Zeeman effects we identify three conventionally ordered phases including a 120° Néel phase, a stripe phase, and an up-up-down phase. For intermediate fields an emergent quantum spin liquid phase is identified with partial spin polarization. We further characterize its topological nature as the v = 1/2 Laughlin CSL through the topological entanglement spectrum and quantized spin pumping under spin flux insertion. In addition, we map out the quantum phase diagram for different twisted angles in an experimentally accessible parameter regime.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2021

Oscillations of the thermal conductivity in the spin-liquid state of α-RuCl 3

In the class of materials called spin liquids a magnetically ordered state cannot be attained even at millikelvin temperatures because of conflicting constraints on each spin; for example, from geometric or exchange frustration. The resulting quantum spin-liquid state is currently of intense interest because it exhibits unusual excitations as well as wave-function entanglement. The layered insulator α-RuCl 3 orders as a zigzag antiferromagnet at low temperature in zero magnetic field. The zigzag order is destroyed when a magnetic field is applied parallel to the zigzag axis. At moderate magnetic field strength, there is growing evidence that a quantum spin-liquid state exists. Here we report the observation of oscillations in its thermal conductivity in that field range. The oscillations, whose amplitude is very large within this field range and strongly suppressed on either side, are periodic. This is analogous to quantum oscillations in metals, even though α-RuCl 3 is an excellent insulator with a large gap. As the temperature is raised above 0.5 K, the oscillation amplitude decreases exponentially, anticorrelating with the emergence of an anomalous planar thermal Hall conductivity above approximately 2 K.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2016

Interplay between spin-orbit coupling and strong correlation effects: Comparison of the three osmate double perovskites Ba 2 AOsO 6 (A=Na, Ca, Y)

High formal valence Os-based double perovskites are a focus of current interest because they display strong interplay of large spin-orbit coupling and strong electronic correlation. Here we present the electronic and magnetic characteristics of a sequence of three cubic Os based double perovskites Ba 2 AOsO 6 (A=Na, Ca, Y), with formal valences of Os +7 (d 1 ),Os +6 (d 2 ), and Os +5 (d 3 ). For these first principles based calculations we apply an “exact exchange for correlated electrons” functional, with exact exchange applied in a hybrid fashion solely to the Os (5d) states. While Ba 2 NaOsO 6 is a reported ferromagnetic Dirac-Mott insulator studied previously, the other two show antiferromagnetic ordering while all retain the undistorted cubic structure. For comparison purposes we have investigated only the ferromagnetic ordered phase. A metal-insulator transition is predicted to occur upon rotating the direction of magnetization in all three materials, reflecting the central role of spin-orbit coupling in these small gap osmates. Surprises arising from comparing formal charge states with the radial charge densities are discussed. Chemical shielding factors and orbital susceptibilities are provided for comparison with future nuclear magnetic resonance data.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2022

Superconducting Fourfold Fe(Te,Se) Film on Sixfold Magnetic MnTe via Hybrid Symmetry Epitaxy

Epitaxial Fe(Te,Se) thin films have been grown on various substrates but never been grown on magnetic layers. In this work, we report the epitaxial growth of fourfold Fe(Te,Se) film on a sixfold antiferromagnetic insulator, MnTe. The Fe(Te,Se)/MnTe heterostructure shows a clear superconducting transition at around 11 K, and the critical magnetic field measurement suggests the origin of the superconductivity to be bulk-like. Structural characterizations suggest that the uniaxial lattice match between Fe(Te,Se) and MnTe allows a hybrid symmetry epitaxy mode, which was recently discovered between Fe(Te,Se) and Bi 2 Te 3 . Furthermore, the Te/Fe flux ratio during deposition of the Fe(Te,Se) layer is found to be critical for its superconductivity. Now that superconducting Fe(Te,Se) can be grown on two related hexagonal platforms, Bi 2 Te 3 and MnTe, this result opens a new possibility of combining topological superconductivity of Fe(Te,Se) with the rich physics in the intrinsic magnetic topological materials (MnTe) n (Bi 2 Te 3 ) m family.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2019

The application of macroscopic flakes for Fe-6.5%Si bulk magnetics with superior magnetic properties

Inductors are used in power electronics to convert current to different frequency and voltage. They are used extensively from where power is generated all the way to electric vehicles and portable electronic devices. The soft magnetic materials used in the inductors is critical for the performance of the inductors. Currently, a majority of the inductor uses powder core. The use of powder is not ideal as the 3D granule powders generate large demagnetization field working against the applied field, resulting in reduced permeability and efficiency. In this paper, 2D flakes were used to replace the 3D granules as the feedstock for fabricating inductor core. The crystalline Fe-Si based crystalline soft magnetic material in the form of flakes approximately 0.1mm thick, 1mm long and 2mm wide were prepared via melt spinning. The flakes were then coated with insulating materials before compacted into a toroid. The effect of coating thickness and concentration on magnetic properties of the toroidal sample are studied. It was also found that the magnetic cores made by flakes surpass the cores made by same size powder with larger permeability and lower iron losses.

Fe-6.5%Si Steel↗