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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 289 records · Page 16
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

Roadmap for Photonics with 2D Materials

Triggered by advances in atomic-layer exfoliation and growth techniques, along with the identification of a wide range of extraordinary physical properties in self-standing films consisting of one or a few atomic layers, two-dimensional (2D) materials such as graphene, transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), and other van der Waals (vdW) crystals now constitute a broad research field expanding in multiple directions through the combination of layer stacking and twisting, nanofabrication, surface-science methods, and integration into nanostructured environments. Photonics encompasses a multidisciplinary subset of those directions, where 2D materials contribute remarkable nonlinearities, long-lived and ultraconfined polaritons, strong excitons, topological and chiral effects, susceptibility to external stimuli, accessibility, robustness, and a completely new range of photonic materials based on layer stacking, gating, and the formation of moiré patterns. These properties are being leveraged to develop applications in electro-optical modulation, light emission and detection, imaging and metasurfaces, integrated optics, sensing, and quantum physics across a broad spectral range extending from the far-infrared to the ultraviolet, as well as enabling hybridization with spin and momentum textures of electronic band structures and magnetic degrees of freedom. The rapid expansion of photonics with 2D materials as a dynamic research arena is yielding breakthroughs, which this Roadmap summarizes while identifying challenges and opportunities for future goals and how to meet them through a wide collection of topical sections prepared by leading practitioners.

2D materials↗
DOE OSTI2020

Magnetic droplet solitons

Magnetic droplet solitons are dynamical magnetic textures that form due to an attractive interaction between spin waves in thin films with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. Spin currents and the spin torques associated with these currents enable their formation as they provide a means to excite non-equilibrium spin-wave populations and compensate their decay. Recent years have seen rapid advances in experiments that realize and study magnetic droplets. Important advances include the first direct x-ray images of droplets, determination of their threshold and sustaining currents, measurement of their generation and annihilation time, and evidence for drift instabilities, which can limit their lifetime. This perspective discusses these studies and contrasts these solitons to other types of spin-current excitations, such as spin-wave bullets, and static magnetic textures, including magnetic vortices and skyrmions. Magnetic droplet solitons can also serve as current controlled microwave frequency oscillators with potential applications in neuromorphic chips as nonlinear oscillators with memory.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2023

Spin skyrmion gaps as signatures of strong-coupling insulators in magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene

Abstract The flat electronic bands in magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene (MATBG) host a variety of correlated insulating ground states, many of which are predicted to support charged excitations with topologically non-trivial spin and/or valley skyrmion textures. However, it has remained challenging to experimentally address their ground state order and excitations, both because some of the proposed states do not couple directly to experimental probes, and because they are highly sensitive to spatial inhomogeneities in real samples. Here, using a scanning single-electron transistor, we observe thermodynamic gaps at even integer moiré filling factors at low magnetic fields. We find evidence of a field-tuned crossover from charged spin skyrmions to bare particle-like excitations, suggesting that the underlying ground state belongs to the manifold of strong-coupling insulators. From the spatial dependence of these states and the chemical potential variation within the flat bands, we infer a link between the stability of the correlated ground states and local twist angle and strain. Our work advances the microscopic understanding of the correlated insulators in MATBG and their unconventional excitations.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Entropic signatures of the skyrmion lattice phase in MnSi 1- x Al x and Fe 1- y Co y Si

Here, the entropic signatures of magnetic phase transitions in the skyrmion lattice host compounds MnSi 0.962 Al 0.038 and Fe 0.7 Co 0.3 Si were investigated through low field magnetization and ac susceptibility measurements. These data indicate that the conical to skyrmion transition that occurs with the application of magnetic field in MnSi 0.962 Al 0.038 is characterized by clear discontinuity in the magnetic entropy as expected for first order topological phase transition. These same magnetoentropic features are negligibly small in isostructural Fe 0.7 Co 0.3 Si due to the level of chemical substitution related disorder and differences in the spin dynamics (range and timescales). Despite the obvious similarities in the magnetic structures of these two compounds, the transitions between these phases is substantially different indicating a surprising nonuniversality to the magnetic phase transitions in this class of materials.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

Geometrical frustration and competing orders in the dipolar trimerized triangular lattice

Here, we introduce and explore low-energy configurations in two-dimensional arrays consisting of Ising-type dipolar coupled nanomagnets lithographically defined onto three-nanomagnet vertices arranged in a triangular coordination. Thus, the system is dubbed the trimerized triangular lattice. Employing synchrotron-based photoemission electron microscopy, we perform temperature-dependent magnetic imaging of moment configurations. These states are then characterized in terms of spin correlations and magnetic structure factors. The results reveal a competition between ferromagnetic and vortex dominated orders, which can be controlled by varying the relevant lattice parameter and the corresponding competing interactions.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2023

Field-free spin-orbit torque switching assisted by in-plane unconventional spin torque in ultrathin [Pt/Co] N

Electrical manipulation of magnetization without an external magnetic field is critical for the development of advanced non-volatile magnetic-memory technology that can achieve high memory density and low energy consumption. Several recent studies have revealed efficient out-of-plane spin-orbit torques (SOTs) in a variety of materials for field-free type-z SOT switching. Here, we report on the corresponding type-x configuration, showing significant in-plane unconventional spin polarizations from sputtered ultrathin [Pt/Co] N , which are either highly textured on single crystalline MgO substrates or randomly textured on SiO 2 coated Si substrates. The unconventional spin currents generated in the low-dimensional Co films result from the strong orbital magnetic moment, which has been observed by X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) measurement. The x-polarized spin torque efficiency reaches up to −0.083 and favors complete field-free switching of CoFeB magnetized along the in-plane charge current direction. Micromagnetic simulations additionally demonstrate its lower switching current than type-y switching, especially in narrow current pulses. Our work provides additional pathways for electrical manipulation of spintronic devices in the pursuit of high-speed, high-density, and low-energy non-volatile memory.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2022

Majorana bound states with chiral magnetic textures

The aim of this Tutorial is to give a pedagogical introduction into realizations of Majorana fermions, usually termed as Majorana bound states (MBSs), in condensed matter systems with magnetic textures. We begin by considering the Kitaev chain model of “spinless” fermions and show how two “half” fermions can appear at chain ends due to interactions. By considering this model and its two-dimensional generalization, we emphasize intricate relation between topological superconductivity and possible realizations of MBS. We further discuss how “spinless” fermions can be realized in more physical systems, e.g., by employing the spin-momentum locking. Next, we demonstrate how magnetic textures can be used to induce synthetic or fictitious spin–orbit interactions, and, thus, stabilize MBS. We describe a general approach that works for arbitrary textures and apply it to skyrmions. We show how MBS can be stabilized by elongated skyrmions, certain higher order skyrmions, and chains of skyrmions. We also discuss how braiding operations can be performed with MBS stabilized on magnetic skyrmions. Furthermore, this Tutorial is aimed at students at the graduate level.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Contact solitons as spin pistons in one-dimensional ferromagnetic channels

Ferromagnetic channels subject to spin injection have been theoretically shown to sustain dissipative exchange flows (DEFs). In the strong injection regime, a soliton is stabilized at the injection site, which has been termed a contact soliton DEF or CS-DEF. Here, in this work, we investigate the modulation of CS-DEFs as a mechanism to inject magnons into a DEF. By varying the injection current, the parameters connecting the soliton with the DEF via a boundary layer are varied. These lead to a modification in the DEF which is interpreted as a spin piston. The injected magnons follow the expected dispersion relation of DEFs, akin to the Bogoliubov–de Gennes dispersion relation. As a result, this work demonstrates that changes in the injected current can pump magnons along a ferromagnetic channel via dissipative exchange flows.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2025

Dynamics of metastable contact soliton dissipative exchange flows in one-dimensional ferromagnetic channels

Dissipative exchange flows (DEFs) are large-amplitude boundary value solutions of ferromagnetic channels. In their low-injection limit, DEFs reduce to spin superfluids. However, in the strong injection limit, nonlinearities dominate close to the injection site and a soliton is formed; this solution has been termed a contact soliton dissipative exchange flow (CS-DEF). Here, in this work, we numerically investigate CS-DEF solutions in a moderate injection regime and a finite injection width. We find a solution where two metastable solitons coexist in the injection region. This solution is metastable in the sense that any perturbation to the system will eject one of the solitons out of the injection region. Moreover, soliton dynamics can be excited when two injection regions are separated by a certain distance. We find that the ensuing DEF between the solitons induces a steady-state dynamics in which metastable solitons are continually ejected and nucleated. Furthermore, and depending on the relative signs of the spin injections, the soliton dynamics possess a particular handedness and frequency related to the spin transfer torque delivered by the DEF. Our results provide insights into the transport of spin current by DEFs - where the interaction between DEFs and solitons suggests a mechanism for detaching contact-solitons from the injection boundary. Although this study focuses on the "nonlocal" interaction between solitons, it may lead to the investigation of new mechanisms for inserting solitons in a DEF, e.g., for discrete motion and transport of information over long distances.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2022

Reconfigurable training and reservoir computing in an artificial spin-vortex ice via spin-wave fingerprinting

Strongly interacting artificial spin systems are moving beyond mimicking naturally occurring materials to emerge as versatile functional platforms, from reconfigurable magnonics to neuromorphic computing. Typically, artificial spin systems comprise nanomagnets with a single magnetization texture: collinear macrospins or chiral vortices. Here, by tuning nanoarray dimensions we have achieved macrospin–vortex bistability and demonstrated a four-state metamaterial spin system, the ‘artificial spin-vortex ice’ (ASVI). ASVI can host Ising-like macrospins with strong ice-like vertex interactions and weakly coupled vortices with low stray dipolar field. Vortices and macrospins exhibit starkly differing spin-wave spectra with analogue mode amplitude control and mode frequency shifts of Δf = 3.8 GHz. The enhanced bitextural microstate space gives rise to emergent physical memory phenomena, with ratchet-like vortex injection and history-dependent non-linear fading memory when driven through global magnetic field cycles. We employed spin-wave microstate fingerprinting for rapid, scalable readout of vortex and macrospin populations, and leveraged this for spin-wave reservoir computation. ASVI performs non-linear mapping transformations of diverse input and target signals in addition to chaotic time-series forecasting.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2025

Symmetry-Based Phenomenological Model for Magnon Transport in a Multiferroic

Magnons-carriers of spin information-can be controlled by electric fields in the multiferroic BiFeO 3 (BFO), a milestone that brings magnons closer to application in future devices. The origin of magnon-spin currents in BFO, however, is not fully understood due to BFO's complicated magnetic texture. In this Letter, we present a phenomenological model to elucidate the existence of magnon spin currents in generalized multiferroics by examining the symmetries inherent to their magnetic and polar structures. This model is grounded in experimental data obtained from BFO and its derivatives, which informs the symmetry operations and resultant magnon behavior. By doing so, we address the issue of symmetry-allowed, switchable magnon spin transport in multiferroics, thereby establishing a critical framework for comprehending magnon transport within complex magnetic textures.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2025

Magnetic devil's staircaselike behavior in quasiperiodic qubit lattices

The devil's staircase (DS) phenomenon is a fractal response of magnetization to external fields, traditionally observed in periodic ferromagnetic systems, where the commensurability between spin arrangements, lattice parameters, and external magnetic fields governs abrupt changes in magnetization. Its occurrence in aperiodic, fractal-type systems has remained largely unexplored, despite their natural compatibility with such phenomena. Using a quantum annealing device, we uncover a wealth of abrupt magnetic transitions between spin manifolds driven by increasing external magnetic fields within a simple yet effective Ising-model framework. In contrast to periodic systems, where DS arises from long-range competing interactions, our findings reveal that short-range, purely antiferromagnetic couplings in aperiodic geometries produce equally rich ground-state magnetization patterns. Here, we demonstrate that while magnetic textures are determined by the lattice size, their formation remains remarkably robust and independent of scale, with commensurability emerging locally. Our results challenge the prevailing view that DS behavior is limited to periodic systems and establish quasiperiodic geometries as a natural host for this phenomenon.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2022

From vertices to vortices in magnetic nanoislands

We report recent studies in magnetic nanoarrays show that a variety of complex magnetic states and textures emerge as a function of a single magnetic nanoisland's aspect ratio. We propose a model that, in addition to fitting experiments, predicts magnetic states with continuous symmetry at particular aspect ratios and reveals a duality between vortex and vertex states. Our model opens new means of engineering novel types of artificial spin systems, and their application to complex magnetic textures in devices and computing.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2024

Magnetic anisotropy in single-crystalline antiferromagnetic Mn 2 Au

Multiple recent studies have identified the metallic antiferromagnet Mn 2 ⁢Au to be a candidate for spintronic applications due to apparent in-plane anisotropy, preserved magnetic properties above room temperature, and current-induced Néel vector switching. Crystal growth is complicated by the fact that Mn 2 ⁢Au melts incongruently. We present a bismuth flux method to grow millimeter-scale bulk single crystals of Mn 2 ⁢Au in order to examine the intrinsic anisotropic electrical and magnetic properties. Flux quenching experiments reveal that the Mn 2 ⁢Au crystals precipitate below 550°⁢C, about 100⁢°⁢C below the decomposition temperature of Mn 2 ⁢Au. Bulk Mn 2 ⁢Au crystals have a room-temperature resistivity of 16–19 µ⁢Ωcm and a residual resistivity ratio of 41. Mn 2 ⁢Au crystals have a dimensionless susceptibility on the order of 10 –4 (SI units), comparable to calculated and experimental reports on powder samples. Single-crystal neutron diffraction confirms the in-plane magnetic structure. The tetragonal symmetry of Mn 2 ⁢Au constrains the ab-plane magnetic susceptibility to be constant, meaning that χ 100 =χ 110 in the low-field limit, below any spin-flop transition. We find that three measured magnetic susceptibilities χ 100 , χ 110 , and χ 001 are the same order of magnitude and agree with the calculated prediction, meaning the low-field susceptibility of Mn 2 ⁢Au is quite isotropic, despite clear differences in ab-plane and ac-plane magnetocrystalline anisotropy. Mn 2 ⁢Au is calculated to have an extremely high in-plane spin-flop field above 30 T, which is much larger than that of another in-plane antiferromagnet, Fe 2 ⁢As (less than 1 T). Finally, the subtle anisotropy of intrinsic susceptibilities may lead to dominating effects from shape, crystalline texture, strain, and defects in devices that attempt spin readout in Mn 2⁢ Au.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2020

Planar topological Hall effect from conical spin spirals

The planar topological Hall effect (PTHE) is known to arise from in-plane skyrmion tubes with an external magnetic field applied in the plane of the charge current. In this paper, we propose that the PTHE can robustly appear also from an unexpected source, the conical spin spiral, realizable in a variety of materials. We show that for both in-plane skyrmion tubes and conical spin spirals, the PTHE is twofold symmetric with respect to the magnetic-field angle, while it is fourfold symmetric for 90°-rotated domains of conical spin spirals. We predict that the symmetry and magnetic-field response of the PTHE can distinguish between the two scenarios, unambiguously probing the nature of the antisymmetric spin-exchange interaction and the resulting magnetic texture.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2023

Transferring orbital angular momentum to an electron beam reveals toroidal and chiral order

Orbital angular momentum (OAM) and torque transfer play central roles in a wide range of magnetic textures and devices including skyrmions and spin-torque electronics. Analogous topological structures are now also being explored in ferroelectrics, including polarization vortex arrays in ferroelectric/dielectric superlattices. Unlike magnetic toroidal order, electric toroidal order does not couple directly to linear external fields. Instead, we find that the presence of an electric toroidal moment in a ferrorotational phase transfers measurable torque and OAM to a localized electron beam in the ballistic limit. We record these torque transfers from a high-energy electron beam using a momentum-resolved detector. This approach provides a high-sensitivity method to detect polarization fields and their more complex order parameters and topologies. In addition to toroidal order, we also demonstrate high-precision measurements of vorticity and chirality for polar vortexlike phases.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2022

Langevin dynamics of generalized spins as SU( N ) coherent states

Classical models of spin systems traditionally retain only the dipole moments, but a quantum spin state will frequently have additional structure. Spins of magnitude S have N = 2⁢S + 1 levels. Alternatively, the spin state is fully characterized by a set of N 2 - 1 local physical observables, which we interpret as generalized spin components. For example, a spin with S = 1 has three dipole components and five quadrupole components. Further, these components evolve under a generalization of the classical Landau-Lifshitz dynamics, which can be extended with noise and damping terms. In this paper, we reformulate the dynamical equations of motion as a Langevin dynamics of SU(N) coherent states in the Schrödinger picture. This viewpoint is especially useful as the basis for an efficient numerical method to sample spin configurations in thermal equilibrium and to simulate the relaxation and driven motion of topological solitons. To illustrate the approach, we simulate a nonequilibrium relaxation process that creates CP 2 skyrmions, which are topological defects with both dipole and quadrupole character.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗