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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 1,657 records · Page 92
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

Robust Biaxial Anisotropy and Switchable Néel Vectors in LaFeO 3 Epitaxial Films

Antiferromagnets with highly stable but switchable Néel vectors are desired for antiferromagnetic spintronics with ultrafast speed and terahertz frequencies. Electrical switching of antiferromagnetic insulators has been demonstrated using binary antiferromagnets, while large families of complex antiferromagnets such as perovskites are largely unexplored. Here, we show that epitaxial LaFeO 3 thin films on SrTiO 3 (001) exhibit clear, robust biaxial anisotropy with a spin-flop field of a few tesla. Angular-dependent spin-Hall magnetoresistance (SMR) characterizations of Pt/LaFeO 3 bilayers with the current channel along SrTiO 3 [100] and [110] reveal distinct, intriguing shapes and field dependence. Simulations using a macrospin model accurately describe the main behavior and fine features of the SMR data from which key antiferromagnetic parameters are extracted. Furthermore, remanent SMR measurement confirms the high fidelity of the Néel vector along either easy axis of the biaxial anisotropy, indicating that epitaxial films of LaFeO 3 and potentially other perovskite antiferromagnets offer an attractive platform for antiferromagnetic spintronics.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2018

Conductance Spectroscopy of Exfoliated Thin Flakes of Nb x Bi 2 Se 3

We study unconventional superconductivity in exfoliated single crystals of a promising three-dimensional (3D) topological superconductor candidate, Nb-doped Bi 2 Se 3 through differential conductance spectroscopy and magneto-transport. The strong anisotropy of the critical field along the out-of-plane direction suggests that the thin exfoliated flakes are in the quasi-2D limit. Normal metal-superconductor (NS) contacts with either high or low transparencies made by depositing gold leads onto Nb-doped Bi 2 Se 3 flakes both show significant enhancement in zero bias conductance and coherence dips at the superconducting energy gap. Such behavior is inconsistent with conventional Blonder–Tinkham–Klapwijk theory. Instead, we discuss how our results are consistent with p-wave pairing symmetry, supporting the possibility of topological superconductivity in Nb-doped Bi 2 Se 3 . Lastly, we observe signatures of multiple superconducting energy gaps, which could originate from multiple Fermi surfaces reported earlier in bulk crystals.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2018

Emergent superconductivity in an iron-based honeycomb lattice initiated by pressure-driven spin-crossover

The discovery of iron-based superconductors (FeSCs), with the highest transition temperature (T c ) up to 55 K, has attracted worldwide research efforts over the past ten years. So far, all these FeSCs structurally adopt FeSe-type layers with a square iron lattice and superconductivity can be generated by either chemical doping or external pressure. Herein, we report the observation of superconductivity in an iron-based honeycomb lattice via pressure-driven spin-crossover. Under compression, the layered FePX 3 (X = S, Se) simultaneously undergo large in-plane lattice collapses, abrupt spin-crossovers, and insulator-metal transitions. Superconductivity emerges in FePSe 3 along with the structural transition and vanishing of magnetic moment with a starting T c ~ 2.5 K at 9.0 GPa and the maximum T c ~ 5.5 K around 30 GPa. The discovery of superconductivity in iron-based honeycomb lattice provides a demonstration for the pursuit of transition-metal-based superconductors via pressure-driven spin-crossover.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2022

Theory of optical axion electrodynamics and application to the Kerr effect in topological antiferromagnets

Abstract Emergent axion electrodynamics in magneto-electric media is expected to provide novel ways to detect and control material properties with electromagnetic fields. However, despite being studied intensively for over a decade, its theoretical understanding remains mostly confined to the static limit. Here, we introduce a theory of axion electrodynamics at general frequencies. We define a proper optical axion magneto-electric coupling through its relation to optical surface Hall conductivity and provide ways to calculate it in lattice systems. By employing our formulas, we show that axion electrodynamics can lead to a significant Kerr effect in thin-film antiferromagnets at wavelengths that are seemingly too long to resolve the spatial modulation of magnetism. We identify the wavelength scale above which the Kerr effect is suppressed. Our theory is particularly relevant to materials like MnBi 2 Te 4 , a topological antiferromagnet whose magneto-electric response is shown here to be dominated by the axion contribution even at optical frequencies.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

Probing topological quantum matter with scanning tunnelling microscopy

The search for topological phases of matter is evolving towards strongly interacting systems, including magnets and superconductors, where exotic effects emerge from the quantum-level interplay between geometry, correlation and topology. Over the past decade or so, scanning tunnelling microscopy has become a powerful tool to probe and discover emergent topological matter, because of its unprecedented spatial resolution, high-precision electronic detection and magnetic tunability. Scanning tunnelling microscopy can be used to probe various topological phenomena, as well as complement results from other techniques. We discuss some of these proof-of-principle methodologies applied to probe topology, with particular attention to studies performed under a tunable vector magnetic field, which is a relatively new direction of recent focus. Finally, we then project the future possibilities for atomic-resolution tunnelling methods in providing new insights into topological matter.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2013

Thickness dependent functional properties of PbZr{sub 0.52}Ti{sub 0.48}O{sub 3}/La{sub 0.67}Sr{sub 0.33}MnO{sub 3} heterostructures

The ultra thin ferroelectric PbZr{sub 0.52}Ti{sub 0.48}O{sub 3} (PZT) films with various thicknesses ranging from 100 (P100) to 10 (P10) nm were grown on La{sub 0.67}Sr{sub 0.33}MnO{sub 3}/(LaAlO{sub 3}){sub 0.3}(Sr{sub 2}AlTaO{sub 6}){sub 0.7} (LSMO/LSAT) (001) substrates deposited by pulsed laser deposition technique. The x-ray diffraction patterns of the heterostructures show only (00l) (l = 1 and/or 2) reflections corresponding to the LSAT substrate, PZT, and LSMO layers. The atomic force microscopy studies show that the root mean square surface roughnesses of P100 and P10 films are 2.39 and 0.99 nm, respectively. An increase of both real (ε′) and imaginary (ε″) permittivities was observed when thickness of PZT increases from 10 nm to 100 nm. Temperature dependent ε′ presents an anomaly, related to ferromagnetic-metal to paramagnetic-insulator transition of the LSMO, in the range of 350–500 K. The dielectric anomalies and magnetic phase transition temperature shifted to the lower temperature values with decrease in the PZT films thicknesses. The values of the remanent polarization (P{sub r}) and coercive field (E{sub c}) of the heterostructures were in the range of 24–42 μC/cm{sup 2}–170–1300 kV/cm. An appreciable increase of saturated magnetization (M{sub s}) was observed with increase of PZT layer thickness. The average M{sub s} values of PZT/LSMO heterostructure were 170, 150, 100, and 45 emu/cm{sup 3} for 100, 50, 25, and 10 nm at 300 K, respectively. Enhancement in magnetization with increase in PZT thickness may be due to the interface effect between PZT/LSMO layers.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Gate-defined wires in twisted bilayer graphene: From electrical detection of intervalley coherence to internally engineered Majorana modes

Twisted bilayer graphene (TBG) realizes a highly tunable, strongly interacting system featuring superconductivity and various correlated insulating states. We establish gate-defined wires in TBG with proximity-induced spin-orbit coupling as (i) a tool for revealing the nature of correlated insulators and (ii) a platform for Majorana-based topological qubits. We show that the band structure of a gate-defined wire immersed in an intervalley coherent correlated insulator inherits electrically detectable fingerprints of symmetry breaking native to the latter. Surrounding the wire by a superconducting TBG region on one side and an intervalley coherent correlated insulator on the other further enables the formation of Majorana zero modes—possibly even at zero magnetic field depending on the precise symmetry-breaking order present. Our proposal not only introduces a highly gate-tunable topological qubit medium relying on internally generated proximity effects but can also shed light on the Cooper-pairing mechanism in TBG.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2015

CaMn 2 Sb 2 : Spin waves on a frustrated antiferromagnetic honeycomb lattice

We present inelastic neutron scattering measurements of the antiferromagnetic insulator CaMn 2 Sb 2 :, which consists of corrugated honeycomb layers of Mn. The dispersion of magnetic excitations has been measured along the H and L directions in reciprocal space, with a maximum excitation energy of ≈ 24 meV. These excitations are well described by spin waves in a Heisenberg model, including first and second neighbor exchange interactions, J 1 and J 2 , in the Mn plane and also an exchange interaction between planes. The determined ratio J 2 /J 1 ≈ 1/6 suggests that CaMn 2 Sb 2 : is the first example of a compound that lies very close to the mean field tricritical point, known for the classical Heisenberg model on the honeycomb lattice, where the N´eel phase and two different spiral phases coexist. The magnitude of the determined exchange interactions reveal a mean field ordering temperature ≈ 4 times larger than the reported N´eel temperature T N = 85 K, suggesting significant frustration arising from proximity to the tricritical point.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2016

Directly probing spin dynamics in insulating antiferromagnets using ultrashort terahertz pulses

We investigate spin dynamics in the antiferromagnetic (AFM) multiferroic TbMnO3 using opticalpump, terahertz (THz)-probe spectroscopy. Photoexcitation results in a broadband THz transmission change, with an onset time of 25 ps at 6 K that becomes faster at higher temperatures. We attribute this time constant to spin-lattice thermalization. The excellent agreement between our measurements and previous ultrafast resonant x-ray diffraction measurements on the same material confirms that our THz pulse directly probes spin order. We suggest that this could be the case in general for insulating AFM materials, if the origin of the static absorption in the THz spectral range is magnetic.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2018

Electrical Control of Structural and Physical Properties via Strong Spin-Orbit Interactions in Sr 2 IrO 4

Electrical control of structural and physical properties is a long-sought, but elusive goal of contemporary science and technology. We propose that a combination of strong spin-orbit interactions (SOI) and a canted antiferromagnetic Mott state is sufficient to attain that goal. The antiferromagnetic insulator Sr 2 IrO 4 provides a model system in which strong SOI lock canted Ir magnetic moments to IrO6 octahedra, causing them to rigidly rotate together. A novel coupling between an applied electrical current and the canting angle reduces the N´eel temperature and drives a large, nonlinear lattice expansion that closely tracks the magnetization, increases the electron mobility, and precipitates a unique resistive switching effect. Our studies open new avenues for understanding fundamental physics driven by strong SOI in condensed matter, and provide a new paradigm for functional materials and devices.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Sublattice-Dependent Antiferromagnetic Transitions in Rare Earth Nickelates

Perovskite rare earth nickelates exhibit remarkably rich physics in their metal-insulator and antiferromagnetic transitions, and there has been a long-standing debate on whether their magnetic structures are collinear or noncollinear. Through symmetry consideration based on the Landau theory, we discover that the antiferromagnetic transitions on the two nonequivalent Ni sublattices occur separately at different Néel temperatures induced by the O breathing mode. It is manifested by two kinks on the temperature-dependent magnetic susceptibilities with the secondary kink being continuous in the collinear magnetic structure but discontinuous in the noncollinear one. Here, the prediction on the secondary discontinuous kink is corroborated by an existing magnetic susceptibility measurement on bulk single-crystalline nickelates, thus strongly supporting the noncollinear nature of the magnetic structure in bulk nickelates, thereby shedding new light on the long-standing debate.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRS2013

Future Development Trajectories for Imaging X-rays Spectrometers Based on Microcalorimeters

Future development trajectories for imaging x-ray spectrometers based on microcalorimeters. Since their invention 30 years ago, the capability of X-ray microcalorimeters has increased steadily, with continual improvements in energy resolution, speed, and array size. Arrays of up to 1024 pixels have been produced, and resolution better than 1 eV at 1.5 keV has been achieved. These detectors can be optimized for the highest priority science, such as designing for the highest resolving power at low energies at the expense of dynamic range, or the greatest focal-plane coverage at the expense of speed. Three types of X-ray microcalorimeters presently dominate the field, each characterized by the thermometer technology. The first two types use temperature-sensitive resistors: semiconductors in the metal-insulator transition and superconductors operated in the superconducting-normal transition. The third type uses a magnetically coupled thermometer, and is at an earlier stage of development than the other two. The Soft X-ray Spectrometer (SXS) on Astro-H, expected to launch in 2015, will use an array of silicon thermistors with HgTe X-ray absorbers that will operate at 50 mK. Both the semiconductor and superconductor calorimeters have been implemented in small arrays. Kilopixel arrays of the superconducting calorimeters are being produced, and much larger arrays may require the non-dissipative advantage of magnetically coupled thermometers. I will project the development trajectories of these detectors and their read-out technologies and assess what their capabilities and limitations will be 10 - 20 years from now.

Kilbourne, Caroline A.↗
DOE OSTI2014

Unambiguous separation of the inverse spin Hall and anomalous Nernst effects within a ferromagnetic metal using the spin Seebeck effect

In this paper, the longitudinal spin Seebeck effect is measured on the ferromagnetic insulator Fe 3 O 4 with the ferromagnetic metal Co 0.2 Fe 0.6 B 0.2 (CoFeB) as the spin detector. By using a non-magnetic spacer material between the two materials (Ti), it is possible to decouple the two ferromagnetic materials and directly observe pure spin flow from Fe 3 O 4 into CoFeB. It is shown that in a single ferromagnetic metal, the inverse spin Hall effect (ISHE) and anomalous Nernst effect (ANE) can occur simultaneously with opposite polarity. Using this and the large difference in the coercive fields between the two magnets, it is possible to unambiguously separate the contributions of the spin Seebeck effect from the ANE and observe the degree to which each effect contributes to the total response. Finally, these experiments show conclusively that the ISHE and ANE in CoFeB are separate phenomena with different origins and can coexist in the same material with opposite response to a thermal gradient.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2016

Spin injection and inverse Edelstein effect in the surface states of topological Kondo insulator SmB 6

There has been considerable interest in exploiting the spin degrees of freedom of electrons for potential information storage and computing technologies. Topological insulators (TIs), a class of quantum materials, have special gapless edge/surface states, where the spin polarization of the Dirac fermions is locked to the momentum direction. This spin–momentum locking property gives rise to very interesting spin-dependent physical phenomena such as the Edelstein and inverse Edelstein effects. However, the spin injection in pure surface states of TI is very challenging because of the coexistence of the highly conducting bulk states. Here, we experimentally demonstrate the spin injection and observe the inverse Edelstein effect in the surface states of a topological Kondo insulator, SmB 6 . At low temperatures when only surface carriers are present, a clear spin signal is observed. Moreover, the magnetic field angle dependence of the spin signal is consistent with spin–momentum locking property of surface states of SmB6.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRS2013

Conducting Wall Hall Thrusters

A unique configuration of the magnetic field near the wall of Hall thrusters, called Magnetic Shielding, has recently demonstrated the ability to significantly reduce the erosion of the boron nitride (BN) walls and extend the life of Hall thrusters by orders of magnitude. The ability of magnetic shielding to minimize interactions between the plasma and the discharge chamber walls has for the first time enabled the replacement of insulating walls with conducting materials without loss in thruster performance. The boron nitride rings in the 6 kW H6 Hall thruster were replaced with graphite that self-biased to near the anode potential. The thruster efficiency remained over 60% (within two percent of the baseline BN configuration) with a small decrease in thrust and increase in Isp typical of magnetically shielded Hall thrusters. The graphite wall temperatures decreased significantly compared to both shielded and unshielded BN configurations, leading to the potential for higher power operation. Eliminating ceramic walls makes it simpler and less expensive to fabricate a thruster to survive launch loads, and the graphite discharge chamber radiates more efficiently which increases the power capability of the thruster compared to conventional Hall thruster designs.

electric propulsion (EP)↗
DOE OSTI2015

Particle modelling of magnetically confined oxygen plasma in low pressure radio frequency discharge

The main objective of this paper is the modelling and simulation of a radio frequency (RF) discharge in oxygen at low pressure and at room temperature, including the effect of crossed electric and magnetic fields for generation and confinement of oxygen plasma. The particle model takes into account one axial dimension along the electric field axis and three velocity components during the Monte Carlo treatment of the collisions between charged particles and background gas. The simulation by this developed code allows us not only to determine the electrodynamics characteristics of the RF discharge, but also to obtain kinetics and energetic description of reactive oxygen plasma at low pressure. These information are very important for the control of the deep reactive-ion etching technology of the silicon to manufacture capacitors with high density and for the deposition thick insulating films or thick metal to manufacture micro-coils. The simulation conditions are as follows: RF peak voltage of 200 V, frequency of 13.56 MHz, crossed magnetic field varying from 0 to 50 Gauss, and oxygen pressure of 13.8 Pa. In the presence of magnetic field, the results show an increase of the plasma density, a decrease of the electron mean energy, and also a reduction of the ratio between electron density and positive ion density. Finally in order to validate, the results are successfully compared with measurements already carried out in the literature. The conditions of comparison are from 100 to 300 V of the peak voltage at 13.56 MHz under a pressure of 13.8 Pa and a gap distance of 2.5 cm.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗