Magnetism Basics

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Magnetism Basics Magneti sm 101 : All Ab out Spins Jeffrey E. Shield Department of Mechanical Engineering Nebraska Center for Materials and Nanoscience UiUniversit y of fNb Nebras ka Applications of Magnets Hard (Permanent) Magnets Power generation (DC motors) Hybrid cars All-electric airplanes/ships Microsurgical tools Cordless power tools Wind generators Consumer Electronics Computers (Disk drive voice coil motors) Speakers Magnetic Resonance Imaging Soft Transformer cores Electromagnets Semi-hard Data storage The Markets Soft Market Hard Market Magnets Share Magnets Share 1980 $1.89 B 70% $0.81 B 30% 1990 $2.69 B 57.4% $2.0 B 42.6% 2000 $3.55 B 44.2% $4.48 B 55.8% 2010 $5.0 B 28.7% $12.44 B 71.3% th Source: Y. Luo, 18 Workshop on High Performance Magnets and Their Applications, Annecy, France, 2004 Magnetism Basics Maggpnetism arises from electron spins • electrons rotate about nucleus, creating “magnetic moments” • Sometimes, all of the moments cancel each other, resulting in “diamagnetism” • Here, we will only worry about magnetic moments from at/toms/compoun dthtdtds that do not cance l • Specifically, UNPAIRED INNER SHELL ELECTRONS Magnetism Basics • Current (moving electric charge) causes magnetic field Courtesy Todd Zimmerman Magnetism Basics Electrons are “spinning” charges→Have magnetic field • Sometimes, all of the moments cancel each other, resulting in “diamagnetism” •Her e, w e will onl y w orr y about m agn eti c m om en ts fr om atom s/com poun ds that do not cancel • Specifically, UNPAIRED INNER SHELL ELECTRONS Courtesy Todd Zimmerman Magnetism Basics N Atom with a magnetic moment Atom (transition metal, lanthanide, actinide) S Transition metals Lanthanides Actinides Magnetism Basics Periodic array of atoms --“Crystal” Magnetic moments point in random directions PARAMAGNETIC Magnetic moments align parallel FERROMAGNETIC Magnetic moments align antiparallel ANTIFERROMAGNETIC Structure has two magnetic species FERRIMAGNETIC Spontaneous Magnetization Periodic array of atoms --“Crystal” Magnetic moments point in random directions PARAMAGNETIC Magnetic moments align parallel FERROMAGNETIC Magnetic moments align antiparallel ANTIFERROMAGNETIC Structure has two magnetic species FERRIMAGNETIC Ferromagnetic Elements Paramagnets M H H M H H M H Ferromagnets M ? But ferromagnets are not “spontaneously” magnetized H --Think about any steel—screwdriver, automobile body, etc. Flux lines Flux outside a magnet costs energy “Magnetostatic Energy” 2 Ems = ½NdMs Where Nd depends on the shape of the magnet Ferromagnets The material “self divides” into “MAGNETIC DOMAINS ” --regions with spins pointing in a common direction Flux lines Increase in magnetization due to domain growth M H Ferromagnets Domain Walls: Thin and Thick δ = domain wall width = π(A/K)1/2 A = exchange stiffness ~ 10-13 J/m K = Anisotropy constant = 103 – 107 J/m3 So δ ~ 0.1 – 100 nm Ferromagnets Domain walls can be eliminated by reducing the size of the crystal --Competition between Magnetostatic energy (volume dependent) and domain wall energy (surface area) γ = domain wall energy = 4(AK)1/2 2 Ems(single domain)= μoMs V/6 Ems(multidomain) = 0.5Ems(single domain) Ems(multidomain) = Edw 1/2 2 Resulting in, for a sphere, RSD = 36(AK) /μoMs RSD ~ few nm to 1 μm Anisotropy Anisotropy—Answers the question “How easy is it to rotate a spin away from its preferred direction?” θ From 1) Shape 2) Crystal (“Magnetocrystalline”) 3) Stress Shape Anisotropy ⌠ E = -μo H dM ms ⌡ 2 Ems = (μo/2) NdM Since Hd = - NdM is the self de-magnetizing field M a θ c 2 2 2 Ems = (μo/2) [(Mcos θ) NcM +(Msin θ) Na] 2 2 2 Ems = (μo/2) [M Nc +(Na -Nc)M sin θ] 2 Ks = (μo/2) (Na -Nc)M Na andNd Nc are dtiiftlddemagnetizing factors along a and c 4 3 When a = c (sphere), Ks = 0; Max Ks~10 J/m Magnetocrystalline Anisotropy For cubic structures 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 E = Ko + K1(α1 α2 + α2 α3 + α1 α3 ) + K2(α1 α2 α3 ) Since Ko is angle-independent and K2 is small 2 2 2 2 2 2 E = K1(α1 α2 + α2 α3 + α1 α3 ) For uniaxial structures (hexagonal and tetragonal) 2 4 E = Ko + K1sin θ + K2sin θ Since Ko is angle-independent and K2 is small 2 E = K1sin θ 3 7 3 K1 = 10 -10 J/m Magnetization Easy axis M Easy axis Hard axis H HA HA = anisotropy field field necessary to saturate in the hard direction HA = 2K/μοMs Anisotropy and Length Scales LOW K (“SOFT” MAGNETS) Large domain wall width Small single domain limit SSamall HA HIGH K (“HARD MAGNETS”) Small domain wall width Large single domain limit Large HA Magnetic Properties: Boring Definitions Saturation Magnetization The maximum obtainable magnetization in a material in response to an applie d magne tic fie ld Remanent Magnetization (Remanence—Mr)) The magnetization “remaining” in a material after the applied field has been removed Coercivity (Hc) The magnetic field, applied in the opposite direction, 1 necessary to make the magnetization zero Remanence Anisotropy 0.5 The resistance of a magnetic moment Coercivity s M to point in an unfavorable direction // r 0 M -50 -40 -30 -20 -10 0 10 20 30 40 50 -0.5 -1 Applied Field (kOe) 21 “Hard” v. “Soft” Magnets Coercivity This (arbitrarily) separates hard (high coercivity) and soft (low coercivity) magnetic materials Hard 1 Hc > 2000 Oe 0.5 Soft s M // H < 100 Oe r 0 c M -50 -40 -30 -20 -10 0 10 20 30 40 50 -0.5 -1 Applied Field (kOe) 22 Hard (()gPermanent) Magnets Energy Product The amount of energy stored in a permanent magnet, given by the largest rectangle that can fit in the second quadrant of a B-H graph Defining property for most applications of permanent magnets November 16, 2007 23 Full Hysteresis Loops M Hysteresis loop of a uniililiaxial single- domain particle H along its easy axis IDEAL LOOP! Mr = Ms Hci = HA = 2K/μoMs 2 (BH)max = μoMs /4 Full Hysteresis Loops But a real system has many single-domain particles AthtthdlitdAssume that these are randomly oriented with respect to their easy axis Stoner-Wohlfarth Model Mr = ½Ms Hci = 0.48HA 2 (BH)max = μoMs /16 Stoner-Wohlfarth Systems • Dilute systems of nanocrystalline hard magnetic particles imbedded in a non -magnetic matrix approach the Stoner-Wohlfarth coercivity Nd-Fe-B Er. Girt, K.M. Krishnan, G. Thomas, E. Girt and Z. Altounian, J. Magn. Magn. MtMater. 231, 219 (2001). FePt in C Yingfan Xu, M. L. Yan, J. Zhou, and D. J. Sellmyy,er, J. A ppl. Ph ys. 97, 10J320 (2005) 5 nm FePt C “Real” Magnets • In a real material, we want a high density of magnetic grains • But then, interactions take over! •Hci << 0.48HA •Two basic interactions: •Exchange Interactions--these are short-range 1/2 • lex = (A/K) Exchange-Spring Interactions • Spins across interfaces influence each other ¾ Interaction length ½ ª lex~ (Α/Κ) Interface Exchange-Spring Interactions • Spins across interfaces influence each other ¾ Interaction length ½ ª lex~ (Α/Κ) • Near-interface regions thus have spins influenced by neighboring grains Interface lex Exchange-Bias Interactions Interactions between a ferromagnetic (FM) and antiferromagnetic (AFM) phase Interface FM Phase AFM Phase H The FM spins are “pinned” at the interface ⇒ A (()small) reverse field will not reverse the ferroma gnet “Real” Magnets • •Two basic interactions: •Exchange Interactions--these are short-range 1/2 • lex = δ = π(A/K) •Dipolar Interactions--these are long-range and depend on strength of the dipole • ∝1/r3 The reversal looks kind of like: Strong dipolar, weak exchange Strong dipolar, strong exchange Permanent Magnets 40 ) ee 30 20 vity Hc (kO Hc vity ii 10 Coerc 0 0246 %Additive y (C) Percent Cx in or Sm y 12Co88 32 “Real” Magnets • Soft Magnetic Materials • Low Coercivity • desire strong interactions • Transformers, AC motors or flux-directors (e.g., write- heads) •Hard Magnetic Materials (aka Permanent Magnets) • Hig h Coerc iv ity • Desire weaker interactions • DC motors, flux sources (()gMRI), magnetic recordin g Magnetic Materials: Summary • Important Properties • CiitRCoercivity, Remanence, SttiESaturation, Energy PdtProduct • Important Parameters • Anisotropy • Important Length Scales •RSD = single domain size ~ nanometers to microns • lex= exchange length ~ a few nanometers • δ = domain wall width ~ a few nanometers • Important Features • Microstructure/nanostructure So what happens when Important Length Scales meet up with the scale of the Important Features Magnetic Materials: Practical Examples Low K (soft) materials Characteristics Low K •Large δ (()domain wall width) •Small RSD So,,yy relatively easy reduce microstructure/nanostructure scale so that these converge Nanocrystalline Materials Hci ∝d6 ∝d-1 0 dsp lex Grain Size Superparamagnetic Limit: dsp ~ 25kT/K Nanocrystalline Materials Grain Boundary Grain Boundary Reduction in Grain Size lex lex Resulting in the anisotropy to be “averaged” over all possible orientations “Random Anisotropy”—Lowers K (remember that Hc ∝ K) Material Properties Typical Fe-Si alloys (widely used commercially) Hc ~ 0.08 Oe Nanocrystalline Materials (Nanoperm or Finemet) Hc ~ 0.006 Oe Magnetic Materials: Practical Examples • High K (hard) materials + Low K (soft) materials o“Nanocomposite” magnets Exchange-Spring Interactions Two-phase Mixtures of Hard and Soft Magnetic Phases • With no exchange coupling, the soft phase reverses easily in an applied magnetic field Interface HdPhHard Phase SfPhSoft Phase Exchange-Spring Interactions Two-phase Mixtures of Hard and Soft Magnetic Phases • With no exchange coupling, the soft phase reverses easily in an applied magnetic field Applied Field Interface HdPhHard Phase SfPhSoft Phase Exchange-Spring Interactions Two-phase Mixtures of Hard and Soft Magnetic
Recommended publications
  • Chiral Transport Along Magnetic Domain Walls in the Quantum Anomalous Hall Effect
    www.nature.com/npjquantmats ARTICLE OPEN Chiral transport along magnetic domain walls in the quantum anomalous Hall effect Ilan T. Rosen1,2, Eli J. Fox3,2, Xufeng Kou 4,5, Lei Pan4, Kang L. Wang4 and David Goldhaber-Gordon3,2 The quantum anomalous Hall effect in thin film magnetic topological insulators (MTIs) is characterized by chiral, one-dimensional conduction along the film edges when the sample is uniformly magnetized. This has been experimentally confirmed by measurements of quantized Hall resistance and near-vanishing longitudinal resistivity in magnetically doped (Bi,Sb)2Te3. Similar chiral conduction is expected along magnetic domain walls, but clear detection of these modes in MTIs has proven challenging. Here, we intentionally create a magnetic domain wall in an MTI, and study electrical transport along the domain wall. In agreement with theoretical predictions, we observe chiral transport along a domain wall. We present further evidence that two modes equilibrate while co-propagating along the length of the domain wall. npj Quantum Materials (2017) 2:69 ; doi:10.1038/s41535-017-0073-0 2 2 INTRODUCTION QAH effect, ρyx transitions from ∓ h/e to ±h/e over a substantial The recent prediction1 and subsequent discovery2 of the quantum range of field (H = 150 to H = 200 mT for the material used in the 15–20 anomalous Hall (QAH) effect in thin films of the three-dimensional work), and ρxx has a maximum in this field range. Hysteresis μ magnetic topological insulator (MTI) (CryBixSb1−x−y)2Te3 has loops of the four-terminal resistances of a 50 m wide Hall bar of opened new possibilities for chiral-edge-state-based devices in MTI film are shown in Fig.
    [Show full text]
  • Stress Dependence of the Magnetic Properties of Steels Michael K
    Iowa State University Capstones, Theses and Retrospective Theses and Dissertations Dissertations 1992 Stress dependence of the magnetic properties of steels Michael K. Devine Iowa State University Follow this and additional works at: https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/rtd Part of the Metallurgy Commons Recommended Citation Devine, Michael K., "Stress dependence of the magnetic properties of steels" (1992). Retrospective Theses and Dissertations. 227. https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/rtd/227 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Iowa State University Capstones, Theses and Dissertations at Iowa State University Digital Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Retrospective Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Iowa State University Digital Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Stress dependence of the magnetic properties of steels by Michael Kenneth Devine A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate Faculty in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE Department: Materials Science and Engineering Major: Metallurgy Approved: Signature redacted for privacy In Charge of Major Work For the Major Department For the Graduate College Iowa State University Ames, Iowa 1992 ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION • • • • • • 0 . • • 1 Origin of Ferromagnetism • . 3 Influence of Microstructure and Composition 5 Influence of Stress . • • • 0 • • 11 NDE Applications • • 28 Statement of Problem and Experimental Approach • 29 CHAPTER 2. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE FOR MAGNETIC MEASUREMENTS • • • • • • • • ~0 Magnescope Instrumentation 30 Inspection Head Design • • • 32 CHAPTER 3. LABORATORY SCALE STRESS DETECTION WITH A SOLENOID • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 37 Introduction • • . 37 Materials and Experimental Procedure 37 Results and Discussion • • 38 Conclusions • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 0 • • • 45 CHAPTER 4.
    [Show full text]
  • Mean Field Theory of Phase Transitions 1
    Contents Contents i List of Tables iii List of Figures iii 7 Mean Field Theory of Phase Transitions 1 7.1 References .............................................. 1 7.2 The van der Waals system ..................................... 2 7.2.1 Equationofstate ...................................... 2 7.2.2 Analytic form of the coexistence curve near the critical point ............ 5 7.2.3 History of the van der Waals equation ......................... 8 7.3 Fluids, Magnets, and the Ising Model .............................. 10 7.3.1 Lattice gas description of a fluid ............................. 10 7.3.2 Phase diagrams and critical exponents ......................... 12 7.3.3 Gibbs-Duhem relation for magnetic systems ...................... 13 7.3.4 Order-disorder transitions ................................ 14 7.4 MeanField Theory ......................................... 16 7.4.1 h = 0 ............................................ 17 7.4.2 Specific heat ........................................ 18 7.4.3 h = 0 ............................................ 19 6 7.4.4 Magnetization dynamics ................................. 21 i ii CONTENTS 7.4.5 Beyond nearest neighbors ................................ 24 7.4.6 Ising model with long-ranged forces .......................... 25 7.5 Variational Density Matrix Method ................................ 26 7.5.1 The variational principle ................................. 26 7.5.2 Variational density matrix for the Ising model ..................... 27 7.5.3 Mean Field Theoryof the PottsModel ........................
    [Show full text]
  • Dynamics of a Ferromagnetic Domain Wall and the Barkhausen Effect
    VOLUME 79, NUMBER 23 PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 8DECEMBER 1997 Dynamics of a Ferromagnetic Domain Wall and the Barkhausen Effect Pierre Cizeau,1 Stefano Zapperi,1 Gianfranco Durin,2 and H. Eugene Stanley1 1Center for Polymer Studies and Department of Physics, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215 2Istituto Elettrotecnico Nazionale Galileo Ferraris and GNSM-INFM, Corso M. d'Azeglio 42, I-10125 Torino, Italy (Received 2 July 1997) We derive an equation of motion for the dynamics of a ferromagnetic domain wall driven by an external magnetic field through a disordered medium, and we study the associated depinning transition. The long-range dipolar interactions set the upper critical dimension to be dc ­ 3, so we suggest that mean-field exponents describe the Barkhausen effect for three-dimensional soft ferromagnetic materials. We analyze the scaling of the Barkhausen jumps as a function of the field driving rate and the intensity of the demagnetizing field, and find results in quantitative agreement with experiments on crystalline and amorphous soft ferromagnetic alloys. [S0031-9007(97)04766-2] PACS numbers: 75.60.Ej, 68.35.Ct, 75.60.Ch The magnetization of a ferromagnet displays discrete Here, we present an accurate treatment of magnetic in- jumps as the external magnetic field is increased. This teractions in the context of the depinning transition, which phenomenon, known as the Barkhausen effect, was first allows us to explain the experiments and to give a micro- observed in 1919 by recording the tickling noise produced scopic justification for the model of Ref. [13]. We study by the sudden reversal of the Weiss domains [1].
    [Show full text]
  • Quantum Control of Topological Defects in Magnetic Systems
    Quantum control of topological defects in magnetic systems So Takei1, 2 and Masoud Mohseni3 1Department of Physics, Queens College of the City University of New York, Queens, NY 11367, USA 2The Physics Program, The Graduate Center of the City University of New York, New York, NY 10016, USA 3Google Inc., Venice, CA 90291, USA (Dated: October 16, 2018) Energy-efficient classical information processing and storage based on topological defects in magnetic sys- tems have been studied over past decade. In this work, we introduce a class of macroscopic quantum devices in which a quantum state is stored in a topological defect of a magnetic insulator. We propose non-invasive methods to coherently control and readout the quantum state using ac magnetic fields and magnetic force mi- croscopy, respectively. This macroscopic quantum spintronic device realizes the magnetic analog of the three- level rf-SQUID qubit and is built fully out of electrical insulators with no mobile electrons, thus eliminating decoherence due to the coupling of the quantum variable to an electronic continuum and energy dissipation due to Joule heating. For a domain wall sizes of 10 100 nm and reasonable material parameters, we estimate qubit − operating temperatures in the range of 0:1 1 K, a decoherence time of about 0:01 1 µs, and the number of − − Rabi flops within the coherence time scale in the range of 102 104. − I. INTRODUCTION an order of magnitude higher than the existing superconduct- ing qubits, thus opening the possibility of macroscopic quan- tum information processing at temperatures above the dilu- Topological spin structures are stable magnetic configura- tion fridge range.
    [Show full text]
  • Investigation of Magnetic Barkhausen Noise and Dynamic Domain Wall Behavior for Stress Measurement
    19th World Conference on Non-Destructive Testing 2016 Investigation of Magnetic Barkhausen Noise and Dynamic Domain Wall Behavior for Stress Measurement Yunlai GAO 1,3, Gui Yun TIAN 1,2,3, Fasheng QIU 2, Ping WANG 1, Wenwei REN 2, Bin GAO 2,3 1 College of Automation Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 211106, P.R. China; 2 School of Automation Engineering, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 611731, P.R. China 3 School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 7RU, United Kingdom Contact e-mail: [email protected]; [email protected] Abstract. Magnetic Barkhausen Noise (MBN) is an effective non-destructive testing (NDT) technique for stress measurement of ferromagnetic material through dynamic magnetization. However, the fundamental physics of stress effect on the MBN signals are difficult to fully reveal without domain structures knowledge in micro-magnetics. This paper investigates the correlation and physical interpretation between the MBN signals and dynamic domain walls (DWs) behaviours of an electrical steel under applied tensile stresses range from 0 MPa to 94.2 MPa. Experimental studies are conducted to obtain the MBN signals and DWs texture images as well as B-H curves simultaneously using the MBN system and longitudinal Magneto-Optical Kerr Effect (MOKE) microscopy. The MBN envelope features are extracted and analysed with the differential permeability of B-H curves. The DWs texture characteristics and motion velocity are tracked by optical-flow algorithm. The correlation between MBN features and DWs velocity are discussed to bridge the gaps of macro and micro electromagnetic NDT for material properties and stress evaluation.
    [Show full text]
  • High Coercivity Vs
    Card Testing International Ltd Level 4, 105 High Street PO Box 30 356 Lower Hutt 5040, NZ Phone: Asia/Pacific +64 4 903 4990 North America (800) 438 9036 Email: [email protected] Website: www.cardtest.com High Coercivity vs. Low Coercivity Accidental magnetic card erasure, a problem today? We have come to expect reliability in our electronic system. Yes, repairs are required, but when you add up all the electronic gadgets in our homes and businesses it's a miracle that service isn't needed more often. Banking, vending, identification and security are some of the most important systems in our lives, and it is critical that they work smoothly. Some of the cards we use in these systems are subject to reliability problems depending on the material used in their tape. The standard magnetic tape that is used on many bank cards are made with iron oxide, effectively rust. The magnetism needed to erase this medium is called coercive force. Units of coercivity are named Oersted. The coercivity of the iron oxide tape used in banking and many other application is 300 Oersted. Ordinary magnets with which we come into contact can easily erase this tape. The magnets that are sometimes used to hold messages onto our refrigerators fall into this category. Some handbags/wallets have magnetic latches that can be a problem. Magnetic force falls off rapidly as the card distance from the offending magnet is increased. It's unlikely that an ordinary magnet kept at least 10 to 15mm from the stripe will damage the tape.
    [Show full text]
  • The Barkhausen Effect
    The Barkhausen Effect V´ıctor Navas Portella Facultat de F´ısica, Universitat de Barcelona, Diagonal 645, 08028 Barcelona, Spain. This work presents an introduction to the Barkhausen effect. First, experimental measurements of Barkhausen noise detected in a soft iron sample will be exposed and analysed. Two different kinds of simulations of the 2-d Out of Equilibrium Random Field Ising Model (RFIM) at T=0 will be performed in order to explain this effect: one with periodic boundary conditions (PBC) and the other with fixed boundary conditions (FBC). The first model represents a spin nucleation dynamics whereas the second one represents the dynamics of a single domain wall. Results from these two different models will be contrasted and discussed in order to understand the nature of this effect. I. INTRODUCTION duced and contrasted with other simulations from Ref.[1]. Moreover, a new version of RFIM with Fixed Boundary conditions (FBC) will be simulated in order to study a The Barkhausen (BK) effect is a physical phenomenon single domain wall which proceeds by avalanches. Dif- which manifests during the magnetization process in fer- ferences between these two models will be explained in romagnetic materials: an irregular noise appears in con- section IV. trast with the external magnetic field H~ ext, which is varied smoothly with the time. This effect, discovered by the German physicist Heinrich Barkhausen in 1919, represents the first indirect evidence of the existence of II. EXPERIMENTS magnetic domains. The discontinuities in this noise cor- respond to irregular fluctuations of domain walls whose BK experiments are based on the detection of the motion proceeds in stochastic jumps or avalanches.
    [Show full text]
  • The Dynamics of Domain Wall Motion in Spintronics
    magnetochemistry Communication The Dynamics of Domain Wall Motion in Spintronics Diego Bisero Dipartimento di Fisica e Scienze della Terra, Università degli studi di Ferrara, Via Saragat 1, I-44122 Ferrara, Italy; [email protected] Received: 26 May 2020; Accepted: 24 June 2020; Published: 2 September 2020 Abstract: A general equation describing the motion of domain walls in a magnetic thin film in the presence of an external magnetic field has been reported in this paper. The equation includes all the contributions from the effects of domain wall inertia, damping and stiffness. The effective mass of the domain wall, the effects of both the interaction of the DW with the imperfections in the material and damping have been calculated. Keywords: magnetic thin films; domain walls; magnetic nanostructures; theoretical models and calculations 1. Introduction Domain wall (DW) motion can be induced by external magnetic fields or by spin polarized currents. Domain wall (DW) propagation [1–4] in laterally patterned magnetic thin films [5–8] holds promise for both fundamental research and technological applications and has attracted much attention because of its potential in data storage technology and logic gates, where data can be encoded nonvolatilely as a pattern of magnetic DWs traveling along magnetic wires [9]. Up to now, a remarkable part of measurements with injected spin polarized currents have been performed on systems with the magnetization direction in-plane. Nanosized wires containing DWs driven by spin-transfer torque are the basis, at the moment, of the racetrack memory concept development. However, the induction of DW displacement requires high spin-current densities, unsuitable to realize low power devices.
    [Show full text]
  • Magnetic Materials: Hysteresis
    Magnetic Materials: Hysteresis Ferromagnetic and ferrimagnetic materials have non-linear initial magnetisation curves (i.e. the dotted lines in figure 7), as the changing magnetisation with applied field is due to a change in the magnetic domain structure. These materials also show hysteresis and the magnetisation does not return to zero after the application of a magnetic field. Figure 7 shows a typical hysteresis loop; the two loops represent the same data, however, the blue loop is the polarisation (J = µoM = B-µoH) and the red loop is the induction, both plotted against the applied field. Figure 7: A typical hysteresis loop for a ferro- or ferri- magnetic material. Illustrated in the first quadrant of the loop is the initial magnetisation curve (dotted line), which shows the increase in polarisation (and induction) on the application of a field to an unmagnetised sample. In the first quadrant the polarisation and applied field are both positive, i.e. they are in the same direction. The polarisation increases initially by the growth of favourably oriented domains, which will be magnetised in the easy direction of the crystal. When the polarisation can increase no further by the growth of domains, the direction of magnetisation of the domains then rotates away from the easy axis to align with the field. When all of the domains have fully aligned with the applied field saturation is reached and the polarisation can increase no further. If the field is removed the polarisation returns along the solid red line to the y-axis (i.e. H=0), and the domains will return to their easy direction of magnetisation, resulting in a decrease in polarisation.
    [Show full text]
  • Antiferromagnetic Domain Wall As Spin Wave Polarizer and Retarder
    ARTICLE DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-00265-5 OPEN Antiferromagnetic domain wall as spin wave polarizer and retarder Jin Lan 1, Weichao Yu1 & Jiang Xiao 1,2,3 As a collective quasiparticle excitation of the magnetic order in magnetic materials, spin wave, or magnon when quantized, can propagate in both conducting and insulating materials. Like the manipulation of its optical counterpart, the ability to manipulate spin wave polar- ization is not only important but also fundamental for magnonics. With only one type of magnetic lattice, ferromagnets can only accommodate the right-handed circularly polarized spin wave modes, which leaves no freedom for polarization manipulation. In contrast, anti- ferromagnets, with two opposite magnetic sublattices, have both left and right-circular polarizations, and all linear and elliptical polarizations. Here we demonstrate theoretically and confirm by micromagnetic simulations that, in the presence of Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya inter- action, an antiferromagnetic domain wall acts naturally as a spin wave polarizer or a spin wave retarder (waveplate). Our findings provide extremely simple yet flexible routes toward magnonic information processing by harnessing the polarization degree of freedom of spin wave. 1 Department of Physics and State Key Laboratory of Surface Physics, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China. 2 Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, Nanjing 210093, China. 3 Institute for Nanoelectronics Devices and Quantum Computing, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China. Jin Lan and
    [Show full text]
  • High Coercivity, Anisotropic, Heavy Rare Earth-Free Nd-Fe-B by Flash Spark Plasma Sintering
    www.nature.com/scientificreports OPEN High coercivity, anisotropic, heavy rare earth-free Nd-Fe-B by Flash Spark Plasma Sintering Received: 29 June 2017 Elinor Castle 1, Richard Sheridan2, Wei Zhou2, Salvatore Grasso1, Allan Walton2 & Michael J. Accepted: 17 August 2017 Reece1 Published: xx xx xxxx In the drive to reduce the critical Heavy Rare Earth (HRE) content of magnets for green technologies, HRE-free Nd-Fe-B has become an attractive option. HRE is added to Nd-Fe-B to enhance the high temperature performance of the magnets. To produce similar high temperature properties without HRE, a crystallographically textured nanoscale grain structure is ideal; and this conventionally requires expensive “die upset” processing routes. Here, a Flash Spark Plasma Sintering (FSPS) process has been applied to a Dy-free Nd30.0Fe61.8Co5.8Ga0.6Al0.1B0.9 melt spun powder (MQU-F, neo Magnequench). Rapid sinter-forging of a green compact to near theoretical density was achieved during the 10 s process, and therefore represents a quick and efficient means of producing die-upset Nd-Fe-B material. The microstructure of the FSPS samples was investigated by SEM and TEM imaging, and the observations were used to guide the optimisation of the process. The most optimal sample is compared directly to commercially die-upset forged (MQIII-F) material made from the same MQU-F powder. It is shown that the grain size of the FSPS material is halved in comparison to the MQIII-F material, leading to a 14% −1 −3 increase in coercivity (1438 kA m ) and matched remanence (1.16 T) giving a BHmax of 230 kJ m .
    [Show full text]