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At least 73 records · Page 4
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2026

Observation of surface ferromagnons in the axion-insulating phase of the antiferromagnetic topological insulator EuSn 2⁢ As 2

We report the study of spin dynamics of Eu 2+ in the antiferromagnetic axion topological insulator EuSn 2 ⁢As 2 by means of antiferromagnetic resonance at 9.34 GHz. Below the Néel temperature (𝑇 N ), two types of resonance modes, the conventional bulk antiferromagnetic resonance and additional surface ferromagnetic resonance, are observed. The latter turns out to be characteristic of the axion-insulating phase. Above 𝑇 N , we prove the existence of a Kosterlitz-Thouless scenario that is relevant for the spin relaxation in the Eu 2+ layers. The absence of Korringa relaxation indicates the strong confinement of the conduction electrons at the Fermi level to the SnAs layers.

Antiferromagnets↗
DOE OSTI2025

Thermally induced mimicry of quantum cluster excitations and implications for the magnetic transition in FePSe 3

In two dimensional magnets, the interplay of thermal fluctuations and spin anisotropy control the existence of long-range magnetic order. In the van der Waals antiferromagnets FePX 3 , orbital degeneracy in the 𝑡 2⁢𝑔 levels of the Fe 2+ ions in octahedral coordination yields strong uniaxial anisotropy, which stabilizes magnetic order up to 𝑇 ≈ 100 K. Recent inelastic neutron scattering measurements around the magnetic ordering transition have shown the existence of a broad spectrum of magnetic fluctuations with nontrivial momentum dependence, which has been interpreted as evidence for localized entangled cluster excitations. In this paper, we offer an alternative interpretation using classical nonlinear spin dynamics simulations. We present stochastic Landau Lifshitz dynamics simulations that reproduce the neutron scattering measurements of Chen et al. [npj Quantum Mater. 9, 40 (2024)] on FePSe 3 . These calculations faithfully explain the dynamical structure factor's momentum and energy dependence and point to a classical origin for the excitations observed in neutron spectroscopy and that the order-disorder transition can be understood in terms of thermal fluctuations overcoming the anisotropy energy.

Landau-Lifschitz-Gilbert equation↗
DOE OSTI2025

Spin Waves in Dirac Semimetal Ca 0.6⁢ Sr 0.4⁢ MnSb 2 Investigated with Neutrons by the Diffraction Method

The tunability of Dirac semimetals with antiferromagnetic Mn layers is of great interest. The observed sign change of interlayer magnetic coupling between CaMnBi 2 and SrMnBi 2 suggests ionic substitution as a potential tuning mechanism. If so, novel behavior near the compensation point could be expected. Here, to explore this, we study a mixed-cation analog, Ca 0.6⁢ Sr 0.4⁢ MnSb 2 , where Bi is replaced by Sb. Conventional inelastic neutron scattering is impractical due to the small crystal size (m ≈ 0.28 g) available for compositional studies; however, we find that using a neutron diffractometer with a wide-angle area detector we can obtain a good quality spin-wave signal, which is shaped by energy-momentum conservation and retains spectroscopic information even without direct energy analysis. Spin-wave modeling reveals an interlayer coupling quantitatively similar to SrMnSb 2 , indicating it is not directly tuned by ionic size and that the sign change in Bi-based compounds likely arises from the observed change in lattice symmetry. Beyond this key insight, our results present an efficient method for parametric and compositional studies of spin dynamics in small crystals.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2025

Evolution of surface morphology from Stranski–Krastanov growth mode to step-flow growth mode in InSbBi thin films

The incorporation of dilute concentrations of bismuth (Bi) into traditional III–V alloys leads to a significant reduction in bandgap energy, making InSbBi a promising candidate for long-wavelength (<0.17 eV) infrared photosensors. InSbBi offers potential as a platform for exploring spin dynamics and quantum phenomena due to its strong spin–orbit coupling. Despite this promise, the material quality of InSbBi alloys remains inferior to that of conventional III–V semiconductors, primarily due to the substantial challenges associated with incorporating Bi into InSb and producing high-quality InSbBi with varying Bi compositions. In this study, we address these issues by developing a molecular beam epitaxy approach to grow smooth InSbBi thin films with tunable Bi incorporation up to 1.8% of the group V sublattice, through dynamic adjustment of Sb flux and careful control of the interplay between growth temperature and the Bi flux. In conclusion, this work paves way for the development of high-quality InSbBi thin films for applications in photodetection, spintronics, and related quantum technologies.

Edirisinghe, Chandima Kasun [Univ. of Tennessee, K↗
DOE OSTI2025

Probing chiral Kitaev spin liquids via dangling boundary fermions

Identifying experimental probes capable of diagnosing extreme quantum behavior is widely regarded as one of the foremost challenges in modern condensed matter physics. Here, we propose a novel approach for detecting chiral Kitaev spin-liquid states through measurements of the local dynamical spin structure factor on the boundary using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). We specifically focus on unpaired (“dangling”) Majorana fermions, which naturally emerge along boundaries of Kitaev spin liquids, and can serve as indicators of chiral boundary modes under broad conditions, thereby offering a clear signature of these exotic quantum states.

Zhang, Shang-Shun [University of Tennessee, Knoxvi↗
DOE OSTI2026

Current-Driven Symmetry Breaking and Spin–Orbit Polarization in Chiral Wires

The spin dynamics of electrons in chiral molecular systems remains a topic of intense interest, particularly regarding whether geometric chirality inherently induces spin polarization in current-carrying electrons. In this work, we employ ab initio real-time time-dependent density functional theory (rt-TDDFT) to directly simulate the interplay among charge current, spin, and orbital. This realtime tracking extends beyond perturbative treatments, and we analyze how nonequilibrium currents effectively lift the symmetry constraints of screw rotation and time-reversal symmetry. We find that the emergence of spin and orbital angular momenta is dynamically correlated with a concomitant loss of translational (linear) momentum, which we interpret as an intrinsic consequence of current-driven symmetry lowering. The implications of this mechanism for chirality-induced spin selectivity and spintronics device design are discussed.

chiral wire↗
DOE OSTI2025

Mechanistic Insight into Tunable Spin Relaxation in Two-Dimensional Type-II Ligand-Perovskite Heterostructures

Two-dimensional (2D) metal-halide perovskites with spin-dependent optical properties hold great promise for spintronic and quantum applications. However, their spin lifetimes, especially for n = 1 2D perovskites, are typically limited to subpicosecond time scales due to rapid spin relaxation driven by strong spin−orbit coupling (SOC), electron−hole exchange interactions, and phonon-mediated scattering. Here, we demonstrate that type-II ligand-perovskite heterostructures overcome these constraints by reducing electron−hole wave function overlap and exciton binding energy. Compared to the type-I 2D perovskite (PEA) 2 PbI 4 with a spin lifetime of 0.29 ps at room temperature, our engineered type-II systems achieve substantially extended spin lifetimes, ∼6.37 ps for (4Tm) 2 PbI 4 and ∼18.47 ps for (4TCNm) 2 PbI 4 . In both materials, spatial charge separation across the perovskite−ligand interface mitigates the Bir−Aronov− Pikus (BAP) mechanism. Temperature- and fluence-dependent measurements reveal Elliott−Yafet (EY)-dominated spin relaxation in (4Tm) 2 PbI 4 , consistent with the observation of coherent phonon oscillation, whereas (4TCNm) 2 PbI 4 exhibits D’yakonov−Perel (DP)-dominated spin relaxation, with weaker phonon coupling further suppressing the EY relaxation, enabling spin lifetimes up to ∼126.81 ps at 5 K. Our findings establish a structural design framework for tailoring spin dynamics in 2D perovskites, offering a promising strategy to engineering spin and optoelectronic properties via rational ligand engineering.

Excitons↗
DOE OSTI2025

Magnon damping and mode softening in quantum double-exchange ferromagnets

We present a comprehensive analysis of the magnetic excitations and electronic properties of fully quantum double-exchange ferromagnets, i.e. systems where ferromagnetic (FM) ordering emerges from the competition between spin, charge, and orbital degrees of freedom, but without the canonical approximation of using classical localized spins. Specifically, we investigate spin excitations within the Kondo lattice-like model, as well as a two-orbital Hubbard Hamiltonian in proximity to the orbital-selective Mott phase. Computational analysis of the magnon dispersion, damping, and spectral weight within these models reveals unexpected phenomena, such as magnon mode softening and the anomalous decoherence of magnetic excitations as observed in earlier experimental efforts, but explained here without the use of the phononic degrees of freedom. We show that these effects are intrinsically linked to incoherent spectral features near the Fermi level, which arise due to the quantum nature of the local (on-site) triplets. This incoherent spectrum leads to a Stoner-like continuum on which spin excitations scatter, governing magnon lifetime and strongly influencing the dynamical spin structure factor. Our study explores the transition from coherent to incoherent magnon spectra by varying the electron density. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the magnitude of the localized spin mitigates decoherence by suppressing the incoherent spectral contributions near the Fermi level. We also discuss the effective J 1 –J 2 spin Hamiltonian, which can accurately describe the large doping region characterized by the magnon-mode softening. Finally, we show that this behavior is also present in multiorbital models with partially filled orbitals, namely, in systems without localized spin moments, provided that the model is in a strong coupling regime. Our results potentially have far-reaching implications for understanding FM ordering in various multi-band systems. These findings establish a previously unknown direct connection between the electronic correlations of those materials and spin excitations.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2026

Electron Correlation and High-Temperature Superconductivity

Strong electron correlation plays a central role in the high-temperature superconductivity (HTSC) of cuprates. However, to date, research has focused only on its role in spin dynamics and related effects, even though it is becoming increasingly clear that spin alone may not be sufficient to create HTSC. Here, we discuss a possible role of electron correlation in the Bose–Einstein condensation (BEC) of Cooper pairs. Recently, we succeeded in observing dynamic electron correlation via inelastic X-ray scattering through results presented in real space. We discovered that electron correlations are strongly modified in the plasmon, proving that electron dynamics significantly affect electron correlation. Earlier, we found that in 4 He, the atom–atom distance in the BE condensate is 10% longer than that in the non-condensate. These results suggest the possibility that the reduction in electron-repulsion energy upon BEC is driving T c to high values. Thus, electron correlation itself could be the origin of the HTSC phenomenon.

Bose–Einstein condensation↗
DOE OSTI2026

Floquet Spin Splitting and Spin Generation in Antiferromagnets

In antiferromagnetic spintronics, accessing the spin degrees of freedom is essential for generating spin currents and manipulating magnetic order, which generally requires lifting spin degeneracy. This is typically achieved through relativistic spin-orbit coupling or nonrelativistic spin splitting in altermagnets. Here, we propose an alternative approach: a dynamical spin splitting induced by an optical field in antiferromagnets. By coupling the driven system to a thermal bath, we demonstrate the emergence of steady-state pure spin currents as well as linear-response longitudinal and transverse spin currents. Crucially, thermal bath engineering enables a nonrelativistic Edelstein effect—the generation of a net spin accumulation—without relying on spin-orbit coupling. Furthermore, our results provide a broadly applicable and experimentally tunable route to control spins in antiferromagnets, offering new opportunities for spin generation and manipulation in antiferromagnetic spintronics.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2025

Tunable magnons of an antiferromagnetic Mott insulator via interfacial metal-insulator transitions

Antiferromagnetic insulators present a promising alternative to ferromagnets due to their ultrafast spin dynamics essential for low-energy terahertz spintronic device applications. Magnons, i.e., quantized spin waves capable of transmitting information through excitations, serve as a key functional element in this paradigm. However, identifying external mechanisms to effectively tune magnon properties has remained a major challenge. Here we demonstrate that interfacial metal-insulator transitions offer an effective method for controlling the magnons of Sr 2 IrO 4 , a strongly spin-orbit coupled antiferromagnetic Mott insulator. Resonant inelastic x-ray scattering experiments reveal a significant softening of zone-boundary magnon energies in Sr 2 IrO 4 films epitaxially interfaced with metallic 4 d transition-metal oxides. Therefore, the magnon dispersion of Sr 2 IrO 4 can be tuned by metal-insulator transitions of the 4 d transition-metal oxides. We tentatively attribute this non-trivial behavior to a long-range phenomenon mediated by magnon-acoustic phonon interactions. Our experimental findings introduce a strategy for controlling magnons and underscore the need for further theoretical studies to better understand the underlying microscopic interactions between magnons and phonons.

magnetic properties and materials↗
DOE OSTI2026

Environment-imposed selection rules for nuclear-spin conversion of H 2 in molecular crystals

Nuclear-spin conversion in molecular hydrogen is governed by strict symmetry rules that typically require magnetic fields or catalytic surfaces to break. Here we demonstrate that the intrinsic tensor composition of a non-magnetic molecular crystal field can impose and relax these rules without external fields. High-resolution infrared spectra of H 2 in crystalline CO 2 reveal large rank-2 (quadrupolar) crystal-field splittings of the 𝑚 sublevels, while nuclear-spin conversion occurs only through 𝛥𝑚 = 0 channels. Replacing CO 2 with polar N 2 O introduces rank-1 (dipole) components that partially open 𝛥⁢𝑚 ≠ 0 pathways, while incorporation of paramagnetic NO 2 fully lifts the restriction. Furthermore, these results establish a direct correspondence between crystal-field tensor rank and nuclear-spin dynamics, introducing a general symmetry-based framework for designing and controlling spin-isomer populations and quantum-state connectivity in molecular solids.

McLane, Nathan [University of Maryland, College Pa↗
DOE OSTI2025

Magnetic glassiness in noncentrosymmetric Sm 7 Pd 3 : Interplay of magnetic frustration, long-range order, and frozen domains

Here, we present a comprehensive investigation of the intricate spin dynamics in the noncentrosymmetric compound Sm 7 ⁢Pd 3 , revealing the coexistence of spin-glass, domain-glass, and ferromagnetic (FM) behaviors. Magnetic field-dependent measurements indicate large coercivity, suggesting ferromagnetic domain formation below the Curie temperature (𝑇 C ≈ 173 K), while temperature-dependent magnetization data point to antiferromagnetic (AFM) coupling, highlighting the competition between FM and AFM interactions. Detailed ac susceptibility, isothermal remanent magnetization, and aging effect measurements demonstrate the presence of two distinct types of glassiness in the sample, and their possible origins are discussed extensively. Magnetization measurements reveal the mixing of the 𝐽 = 5/2 ground state of Sm 3+ with the excited 𝐽 = 7/2 multiplet, lying 965 K above. The specific heat data show further crystalline electric field splitting of the 𝐽 = 5/2 state into a ground-state doublet and a fourfold-degenerate excited state.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2026

Non-equilibrium entropy production and information dissipation in a non-Markovian quantum dot

This study measures trajectory-level entropy production and information dissipation in a driven, non-Markovian quantum dot using time-resolved optical dynamics and machine-learning-based analysis. Although not a 2D-material system, it is relevant because it demonstrates quantitative extraction of nonequilibrium dynamics from nanoscale optical fluctuations, which is conceptually connected to the proposed studies of transient charge and spin dynamics at interfaces.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2026

Emergent electric field induced by dissipative sliding dynamics of domain walls in a Weyl magnet

The dynamic motion of topological defects in magnets induces an emergent electric field, as exemplified by the continuous flow of skyrmion vortices. However, the electrodynamics underlying this emergent field remains poorly understood. In this context, magnetic domain walls—one-dimensional topological defects with two collective modes, sliding and spin-tilt—offer a promising platform for exploration. Here we demonstrate that the dissipative motion of domain walls under oscillatory current excitation generates an emergent electric field. We image domain patterns and quantify the domain-wall length under applied magnetic fields in mesoscopic devices based on the magnetic Weyl semimetal NdAlSi. These devices exhibit exceptionally strong domain-wall scattering and a pronounced emergent electric field, as observed in the imaginary component of the complex impedance. Spin dynamics simulations reveal that domain-wall sliding dominates over spin-tilting, in which the phase delay of the domain-wall motion with respect to the driving force impacts the emergent electric field. Our findings establish domain-wall dynamics as a platform for studying emergent electromagnetic fields and motivate further investigations of the coupled motion of magnetic solitons and conduction electrons.

Yamada, Rinsuke [The University of Tokyo, Japan]↗
DOE OSTI2024

Observation of stacking engineered magnetic phase transitions within moiré supercells of twisted van der Waals magnets

Abstract Recent demonstrations of moiré magnetism, featuring exotic phases with noncollinear spin order in the twisted van der Waals (vdW) magnet chromium triiodide CrI 3 , have highlighted the potential of twist engineering of magnetic (vdW) materials. However, the local magnetic interactions, spin dynamics, and magnetic phase transitions within and across individual moiré supercells remain elusive. Taking advantage of a scanning single-spin magnetometry platform, here we report observation of two distinct magnetic phase transitions with separate critical temperatures within a moiré supercell of small-angle twisted double trilayer CrI 3 . By measuring temperature-dependent spin fluctuations at the coexisting ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic regions in twisted CrI 3 , we explicitly show that the Curie temperature of the ferromagnetic state is higher than the Néel temperature of the antiferromagnetic one by ~10 K. Our mean-field calculations attribute such a spatial and thermodynamic phase separation to the stacking order modulated interlayer exchange coupling at the twisted interface of moiré superlattices.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Dial It Down: The Effect of Strongly Interacting Adsorbates on the BiAg 2 Rashba Surface State

Organic semiconductors interfaced with spin–orbit coupled materials offer a rich playground for fundamental studies of controlling spin dynamics in spintronic devices. The adsorbate–surface interactions at such interfaces play a key role in determining the valence electronic and spin structure and consequently, the device physics as well. Here we show that strong adsorbate–surface alloy interaction leads to weakening of the electronic coupling between the surface alloy atoms and quenches the spin–orbit coupled surface state, demonstrated for the case of the strong organic electron acceptor 2,7-dinitropyrene-4,5,9,10-tetrone (NO 2 –PyT, C 16 H 4 N 2 O 8 ) on the Rashba spin–orbit coupled surface alloy BiAg 2 /Ag(111). Furthermore, our findings demonstrate an important challenge associated with using molecular adsorbates to tailor the spin texture in BiAg 2 /Ag(111), and our work provides guidelines to consider while designing interfacial systems to engineer the spin texture in Rashba surface alloys.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Coherent spin wave excitation with radio-frequency spin–orbit torque

Spin waves, collective perturbations of magnetic moments, are both fundamental probes for magnetic physics and promising candidates for energy-efficient signal processing and computation. Traditionally, coherent propagating spin waves have been generated by radio frequency (RF) inductive Oersted fields from current-carrying electrodes. An alternative mechanism, spin–orbit torque (SOT), offers more localized excitation through interfacial spin accumulation but has been mostly limited to DC to kHz frequencies. SOT driven by RF currents, with potentially enhanced pumping efficiency and unique spin dynamics, remains largely unexplored, especially in magnetic insulators. Here, we conduct a comprehensive theoretical and computational investigation into the generation of coherent spin waves via RF-SOT in the prototypical yttrium iron garnet. We characterize the excitation of forward volume, backward volume, and surface modes in both linear and nonlinear regimes, employing single and interdigitated electrode configurations. We reveal and explain several unique and surprising features of RF-SOT compared to inductive excitation, including higher efficiency, distinct mode selectivity, and directional symmetry, a ~ $3π/4$ phase offset, reduced anharmonic distortion in the nonlinear regime, and the absence of second harmonic generation. These insights position RF-SOT as a promising new mechanism for future magnonic and spintronic applications.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗