Chemical potential of quasi-equilibrium magnon gas driven by pure spin current.

Pure spin currents provide the possibility to control the magnetization state of conducting and insulating magnetic materials. They allow one to increase or reduce the density of magnons, and achieve coherent dynamic states of magnetization reminiscent of the Bose-Einstein condensation. However, until now there was no direct evidence that the state of the magnon gas subjected to spin current can be treated thermodynamically. Here, we show experimentally that the spin current generated by the spin-Hall effect drives the magnon gas into a quasi-equilibrium state that can be described by the Bose-Einstein statistics. The magnon population function is characterized either by an increased effective chemical potential or by a reduced effective temperature, depending on the spin current polarization. In the former case, the chemical potential can closely approach, at large driving currents, the lowest-energy magnon state, indicating the possibility of spin current-driven Bose-Einstein condensation.

Magnetization and ferromagnetic resonance in a Fe/Gd multilayer: experiment and modelling.

Static and dynamic magnetic properties of a [Fe(35 Å)/Gd(50 Å)]12 superlattice are investigated experimentally in the temperature range 5-295 K using SQUID magnetometery and the ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) technique at frequencies 7-38 GHz. The obtained magnetization curves and FMR spectra are analysed theoretically using numerical simulation on the basis of the effective field model. At every given temperature, both static and resonance experimental data can be approximated well within the proposed model. However, a considerable temperature dependence of the effective field parameter in gadolinium layers has to be taken into account to achieve reasonable agreement with the experimental data in the entire temperature range studied. To describe the peculiarities of experimental FMR spectra, a non-local diffusion-type absorption term in Landau-Lifshitz equations is considered in addition to the Gilbert damping term. Possible reasons for the observed effects are discussed.

Low hysteresis FeMn-based top spin valve.

FeMn-based top spin valves Ta/[FeNi/CoFe]/Cu/CoFe/FeMn/Ta with different Cu and FeMn layers thicknesses were prepared by DC magnetron sputtering at room temperature. It was shown that low field hysteresis due to free layer magnetization reversal can be reduced down to (0.1 divided by 0.2) Oe keeping the GMR ratio higher 8% by using both layers thicknesses optimization and non-collinear geometry of magnetoresistance measurements. Dependence of low field hysteresis and GMR ratio on the angle between applied magnetic field and pinning direction are presented.

Diffusion mechanism of exchange bias formation in permalloy-manganese nanostructures at thermo-magnetic treatment.

A mechanism of unidirectional exchange anisotropy formation at thermo-magnetic treatment of permalloy-manganese bilayers has been studied. A shift of hysteresis loops appears at annealing beginning from 230 degrees C. The maximal exchange field of 155 Oe is reached after the 250 degrees C annealing for 2 h. As demonstrated by transmission electron microscopy, the exchange bias and the coercivity growth result from an ordered anti-ferromagnetic NiFeMn phase formation due to the diffusion interaction of permalloy and manganese at annealing.