Reversible control of Co magnetism by voltage-induced oxidation.

We demonstrate that magnetic properties of ultrathin Co films adjacent to Gd2O3 gate oxides can be directly manipulated by voltage. The Co films can be reversibly changed from an optimally oxidized state with a strong perpendicular magnetic anisotropy to a metallic state with an in-plane magnetic anisotropy or to an oxidized state with nearly zero magnetization, depending on the polarity and time duration of the applied electric fields. Consequently, an unprecedentedly large change of magnetic anisotropy energy up to 0.73 erg/cm(2) has been realized in a nonvolatile manner using gate voltages of only a few volts. These results open a new route to achieve ultralow energy magnetization manipulation in spintronic devices.

Probing one antiferromagnetic antiphase boundary and single magnetite domain using nanogap contacts.

We have probed one antiferromagnetic (AF) antiphase boundary (APB) and a single Fe(3)O(4) domain using nanogap contacts. Our experiments directly demonstrate that, in the case of probing one AF-APB, a large magnetoresistance (MR), high resistivity, and a high saturation field are observed as compared with the case of probing a single Fe(3)O(4) domain. The shape of the temperature-dependent MR curves is also found to differ between the single domain and one of the AF-APB measurements, with a characteristic strong temperature dependence for the single domain and temperature independence for the one AF-APB case. We argue that these observations are indicative of profound changes in the electronic transport across APBs. The investigated APB defects increase the activation energy and disturb the long-range charge ordering of monodomain Fe(3)O(4).

Interaction of spherical nanoparticles with a highly focused beam of light.

The interaction of a highly focused beam of light with spherical nanoparticles is investigated for linear and radial polarizations. An analytical solution is obtained to calculate this interaction. The Richards-Wolf theory is used to express the incident electric field near the focus of an aplanatic lens. The incident beam is expressed as an integral where the integrand is separated into transverse-electric (TE) and transverse-magnetic (TM) waves. The interaction of each TE and TM wave with a spherical nanoparticle is calculated using the Mie theory. The resulting analytical solution is then obtained by integrating the scattered waves over the entire angular spectrum. A finite element method solution is also obtained for comparison.

Spin-orbit torque-assisted switching in magnetic insulator thin films with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy.

As an in-plane charge current flows in a heavy metal film with spin-orbit coupling, it produces a torque on and thereby switches the magnetization in a neighbouring ferromagnetic metal film. Such spin-orbit torque (SOT)-induced switching has been studied extensively in recent years and has shown higher efficiency than switching using conventional spin-transfer torque. Here we report the SOT-assisted switching in heavy metal/magnetic insulator systems. The experiments used a Pt/BaFe12O19 bilayer where the BaFe12O19 layer exhibits perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. As a charge current is passed through the Pt film, it produces a SOT that can control the up and down states of the remnant magnetization in the BaFe12O19 film when the film is magnetized by an in-plane magnetic field. It can reduce or increase the switching field of the BaFe12O19 film by as much as about 500 Oe when the film is switched with an out-of-plane field.

Magnetization states of all-oxide spin valves controlled by charge-orbital ordering of coupled ferromagnets.

Charge-orbital ordering is commonly present in complex transition metal oxides and offers interesting opportunities for novel electronic devices. In this work, we demonstrate for the first time that the magnetization states of the spin valve can be directly manipulated by charge-orbital ordering. We investigate the interlayer exchange coupling (IEC) between two epitaxial magnetite layers separated by a nonmagnetic epitaxial MgO dielectric. We find that the state of the charge-orbital ordering in magnetite defines the strength, and even the sign of the IEC. First-principles calculations further show that the charge-orbital ordering modifies the spin polarized electronic states at the Fe(3)O(4)/MgO interfaces and results in a sufficiently large phase shift of wave function which are responsible for the observed IEC sign change across Verwey temperature. Our findings may open new interesting avenues for the electric field control of the magnetization states of spin valves via charge-orbital ordering driven IEC sign change.

Mn2Au: body-centered-tetragonal bimetallic antiferromagnets grown by molecular beam epitaxy.

Mn(2)Au, a layered bimetal, is successfully grown using molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). The experiments and theoretical calculations presented suggest that Mn(2)Au film is antiferromagnetic with a very low critical temperature. The antiferromagnetic nature is demonstrated by measuring the exchange-bias effect of Mn(2)Au/Fe bilayers. This study establishes a primary basis for further research of this new antiferromagnet in spin-electronic device applications.

Ultrafast generation of ferromagnetic order via a laser-induced phase transformation in FeRh thin films.

It is demonstrated that ultrafast generation of ferromagnetic order can be achieved by driving a material from an antiferromagnetic to a ferromagnetic state using femtosecond optical pulses. Experimental proof is provided for chemically ordered FeRh thin films. A subpicosecond onset of induced ferromagnetism is followed by a slower increase over a period of about 30 ps when FeRh is excited above a threshold fluence. Both experiment and theory provide evidence that the underlying phase transformation is accompanied, but not driven, by a lattice expansion. The mechanism for the observed ultrafast magnetic transformation is identified to be the strong ferromagnetic exchange mediated via Rh moments induced by Fe spin fluctuations.