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At least 1,279 records · Page 71

Unravelling Magnetic Nanochain Formation in Dispersion for In Vivo Applications

Self-assembly of iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) into 1D chains is appealing, because of their biocompatibility and higher mobility compared to 2D/3D assemblies while traversing the circulatory passages and blood vessels for in vivo biomedical applications. In this work, parameters such as size, concentration, composition, and magnetic field, responsible for chain formation of IONPs in a dispersion as opposed to spatially confining substrates, are examined. In particular, the monodisperse 27 nm IONPs synthesized by an extended LaMer mechanism are shown to form chains at 4 mT, which are lengthened with applied field reaching 270 nm at 2.2 T. The chain lengths are completely reversible in field. Using a combination of scattering methods and reverse Monte Carlo simulations the formation of chains is directly visualized. The visualization of real-space IONPs assemblies formed in dispersions presents a novel tool for biomedical researchers. This allows for rapid exploration of the behavior of IONPs in solution in a broad parameter space and unambiguous extraction of the parameters of the equilibrium structures. Additionally, it can be extended to study novel assemblies formed by more complex geometries of IONPs.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Intracellular performance of tailored nanoparticle tracers in magnetic particle imaging

Magnetic Particle Imaging (MPI) is a quantitative mass-sensitive, tracer-based imaging technique, with potential applications in various cellular imaging applications. The spatial resolution of MPI, in the first approximation, improves by decreasing the full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the field-derivative of the magnetization, dm/dH of the nanoparticle (NP) tracers. The FWHM of dm/dH depends critically on NPs’ size, size distribution, and their environment. However, there is limited information on the MPI performance of the NPs after their internalization into cells. In this work, 30 to 150 μg of the iron oxide NPs were incubated in a lysosome-like acidic buffer (0.2 ml, 20 mM citric acid, pH 4.7) and investigated by vibrating sample magnetometry, magnetic particle spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and dynamic light scattering (DLS). The FWHM of the dm/dH curves of the NPs increased with incubation time and buffer to NPs ratio, consistent with a decrease in the median core size of the NPs from ∼20.1 ± 0.98 to ∼18.5 ± 3.15 nm. Further, these smaller degraded NPs formed aggregates that responded to the applied field by hysteretic reversal at higher field values and increased the FWHM. The rate of core size decrease and aggregation were inversely proportional to the concentration of the incubated NPs, due to their slower biodegradation kinetics. The results of this model experiment show that the MPI performance of the NPs in the acidic environments of the intracellular organelles (i.e., lysosomes and endosomes) can be highly dependent on their rate of internalization, residence time, and degradation.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Role of spin-transfer torques on synchronization and resonance phenomena in stochastic magnetic oscillators

A theoretical study on how synchronization and resonance-like phenomena in superparamagnetic tunnel junctions can be driven by spin-transfer torques is presented. We examine the magnetization of a superparamagnetic free layer that reverses randomly between two well-defined orientations due to thermal fluctuations, acting as a stochastic oscillator. When subject to an external ac forcing, this system can present stochastic resonance and noise-enhanced synchronization. We focus on the roles of the mutually perpendicular damping-like and field-like torques, showing that the response of the system is very different at low and high frequencies. We also demonstrate that the field-like torque can increase the efficiency of the current-driven forcing, especially at sub-threshold electric currents. These results can be useful for possible low-power, more energy efficient applications.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Magnetic properties and anisotropic magnetoresistance of antiperovskite nitride Mn{sub 3}GaN/Co{sub 3}FeN exchange-coupled bilayers

Epitaxial bilayers of antiferromagnetic Mn{sub 3}GaN/ferromagnetic Co{sub 3}FeN with an antiperovskite structure were grown by reactive magnetron sputtering, and their structural, magnetic, and electrical properties were investigated. Exchange coupling with an exchange field H{sub ex} of 0.4 kOe at 4 K was observed for Mn{sub 3}GaN (20 nm)/Co{sub 3}FeN (5 nm) bilayers. Negative anisotropic magnetoresistance (AMR) effect in Co{sub 3}FeN was observed and utilized to detect magnetization reversal in exchange-coupled Mn{sub 3}GaN/Co{sub 3}FeN bilayers. The AMR results showed evidence for current-induced spin transfer torque in antiferromagnetic Mn{sub 3}GaN.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Ferromagnetism versus slow paramagnetic relaxation in Fe-doped Li 3 N

We report on isothermal magnetization, Mössbauer spectroscopy, and magnetostriction as well as temperature-dependent alternating-current (ac) susceptibility, specific heat, and thermal expansion of single crystalline and polycrystalline Li 2 ( Li 1-x Fe x ) N with x = 0 and x ≈ 0.30 . Magnetic hysteresis emerges at temperatures below T ≈ 50 K with coercivity fields of up to μ 0 H = 11.6 T at T = 2 K and magnetic anisotropy energies of 310 K (27 meV). The ac susceptibility is strongly frequency-dependent (f = 10 – 10 000 Hz) and reveals an effective energy barrier for spin reversal of Δ E ≈ 1100 K (90 meV). The relaxation times follow Arrhenius behavior for T > 25 K . For T < 10 K , however, the relaxation times of τ ≈ 10 10 s are only weakly temperature-dependent, indicating the relevance of a quantum tunneling process instead of thermal excitations. The magnetic entropy amounts to more than 25 J mol -1 Fe K -1 , which significantly exceeds R ln 2 , the value expected for the entropy of a ground-state doublet. Thermal expansion and magnetostriction indicate a weak magnetoelastic coupling in accordance with slow relaxation of the magnetization. The classification of Li 2 ( Li 1-x Fe x ) N as ferromagnet is stressed and contrasted with highly anisotropic and slowly relaxing paramagnetic behavior.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Field-aligned currents observed by the OGO 5 and Triad satellites

The existence of field-aligned currents in the polar cap boundary layer as a permanent feature of the magnetosphere is investigated. Magnetic field observations from Triad at 800 km altitude and from OGO 5 in the high-altitude magnetosphere are examined. Results indicate that in the morning half of the boundary layer, currents flow into the ionosphere, and that the current direction is reversed in the afternoon half of the layer. The Triad data further indicate that the net current is a maximum near 1500 MLT and that there may be a secondary maximum during early morning hours. According to the Isis 2 electron observations, the locations of these maximums of field-aligned net current roughly match those of two maximums in the isointensity contours for 150 ev electrons. It is proposed that the polar cap boundary current is driven by a current generator in the magnetotail, or ultimately in the solar wind. It is suggested that the large scale field-aligned currents in the polar cap boundary layer are associated with the dominance of protons on the morning side and of electrons on the afternoon side near the poleward edge of the precipitation zone along the auroral oval.

Sugiura, M.↗

Rigid-drift magnetohydrodynamic equilibria for cylindrical screw pinches

The rigid-drift equations of MHD equilibria in cylindrical geometry are solved analytically in terms of an infinite series of hypergeometric functions for the case where the pressure is proportional to the square of number density and the current density is arbitrarily pitched. Solutions are obtained for a pure Z pinch, a pure theta pinch, and a general screw pinch. It is found that the shapes of the pressure and magnetic-field profiles are completely determined by the model once two parameters are specified: the local plasma beta on the axis and a quantity related to the pitch of the current density. A set of profiles that resemble those observed experimentally in reversed-field pinches is presented. The results also indicate that hollow pressure profiles and reversed Bz profiles can occur either simultaneously or independently and that the pressure always falls to zero at a finite value of the radius.

Turner, L.↗

Numerical quasi-linear study of the critical ionization velocity phenomenon

The critical ionization velocity (CIV) for a neutral barium (Ba) gas cloud moving across the static magnetic field is studied numerically using quasi-linear equations and a parameter range which is typical for the shaped-charge Ba gas release experiments in space. For consistency the charge exchange between the background oxygen ions and neutral atoms and its reverse process, as well as the excitation of the neutral Ba atoms, are included. The numerical results indicate that when the ionization rate due to CIV becomes comparable to the charge exchange rate the energy lost to the ionization and excitation collisions by the superthermal electrons exceeds the energy gain from the waves that are excited by the ion beam. This results in a CIV yield less than the yield by the charge exchange process.

Moghaddam-Taaheri, E.↗

RAYLEIGH-TAYLOR INSTABILITY IN A RELATIVISTIC FIREBALL ON A MOVING COMPUTATIONAL GRID

We numerically calculate the growth and saturation of the Rayleigh-Taylor (RT) instability caused by the deceleration of relativistic outflows with Lorentz factor Γ = 10, 30, and 100. The instability generates turbulence whose scale exhibits strong dependence on Lorentz factor, as only modes with angular size smaller than 1/Γ can grow. We develop a simple diagnostic to measure the kinetic energy in turbulent fluctuations, and calculate a ratio of turbulent kinetic energy to thermal energy of ε{sub RT} = .03 in the region affected by the instability. Although our numerical calculation does not include magnetic fields, we argue that small-scale turbulent dynamo amplifies magnetic fields to nearly this same fraction, giving a ratio of magnetic to thermal energy of ε{sub B} ∼ 10{sup –2}, to within a factor of two. The instability completely disrupts the contact discontinuity between the ejecta and the swept up circumburst medium. The reverse shock is stable, but is impacted by the RT instability, which strengthens the reverse shock and pushes it away from the forward shock. The forward shock front is unaffected by the instability, but RT fingers can penetrate of the order of 10% of the way into the energetic region behind the shock during the two-shock phase of the explosion. We calculate afterglow emission from the explosion and find the reverse shock emission peaks at a later time due to its reduced Lorentz factor and modified density and pressure at the shock front. These calculations are performed using a novel numerical technique that includes a moving computational grid. The moving grid is essential as it maintains contact discontinuities to high precision and can easily evolve flows with extremely large Lorentz factors.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Emergence of very long time fluctuations and 1/f noise in ideal flows

This paper shows the connection between three previously observed but seemingly unrelated phenomena in hydrodynamic (HD) and magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulent flows, involving the emergence of fluctuations occurring on very long time scales: the low-frequency 1/f noise in the power frequency spectrum, the delayed ergodicity of complex valued amplitude fluctuations in wave number space, and the spontaneous flippings or reversals of large-scale fields. Direct numerical simulations of ideal MHD and HD are employed in three space dimensions, at low resolution, for long periods of time, and with high accuracy to study several cases: different geometries, presence of rotation and/or a uniform magnetic field, and different values of the associated conserved global quantities. It is conjectured that the origin of all these long-time phenomena is rooted in the interaction of the longest wavelength fluctuations available to the system, with fluctuations at much smaller scales. The strength of this nonlocal interaction is controlled either by the existence of conserved global quantities with a back-transfer in Fourier space or by the presence of a slow manifold in the dynamics.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Spectral analysis of magnetohydrodynamic fluctuations near interplanetary schocks

Evidence for two types of relatively large amplitude MHD waves upstream and downstream of quasi-parallel forward and reverse interplanetary shocks is presented. The first mode is an Alfven wave with frequencies (in the spacecraft frame) in the range of 0.025 to 0.07 Hz. This is a left-hand polarized mode and propagates within a few degrees of the ambient magnetic field. The second is a fast MHD mode with frequencies in the range of 0.025 to 0.17 Hz, right-hand polarization and propagating along the magnetic field. These waves are detected principally in association with quasi-parallel shock. The Alfven waves are found to have plasma rest frame frequencies in the range of 1.1 to 6.3 mHz with wavelengths in the order of 4.8 x 10 to the 8th power to 2.7 x 10 to the 9th power cm. Similarly, the fast MHD modes have rest frame frequencies in the range 1.6 to 26 mHz with typical wavelengths about 2.19 x 10 to the 8th power cm. The magnetic field power spectrum in the vicinity of these interplanetary shocks is much steeper than f to the -s/3 at high frequencies. The observed spectra have a high frequency dependence of f to the -2/5 to f to the -4.

Vinas, A. F.↗

Role of anisotropy configuration in exchange-biased systems.

We present a systematic study of the anisotropy configuration effects on the magnetic properties of exchange-biased ferromagnetic/antiferromagnetic (FM/AFM) Co/IrMn bilayers. The interfacial unidirectional anisotropy is set extrinsically via a field cooling procedure with the magnetic field misaligned by an angle {beta}{sub FC} with respect to the intrinsic FM uniaxial anisotropy. High resolution angular dependence in-plane resolved Kerr magnetometry measurements have been performed for three different anisotropy arrangements, including collinear {beta}{sub FC} = 0 and two opposite noncollinear cases. The symmetry breaking of the induced noncollinear configurations results in a peculiar nonsymmetric magnetic behavior of the angular dependence of magnetization reversal, coercivity, and exchange bias. The experimental results are well reproduced without any fitting parameter by using a simple model including the induced anisotropy configuration. Our finding highlights the importance of the relative angle between anisotropies in order to properly account for the magnetic properties of exchange-biased FM/AFM systems.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Rotation profile flattening and toroidal flow shear reversal due to the coupling of magnetic islands in tokamaks

The electromagnetic coupling of helical modes, even those having different toroidal mode numbers, modifies the distribution of toroidal angular momentum in tokamak discharges. This can have deleterious effects on other transport channels as well as on magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) stability and disruptivity. At low levels of externally injected momentum, the coupling of core-localized modes initiates a chain of events, whereby flattening of the core rotation profile inside successive rational surfaces leads to the onset of a large m/n = 2/1 tearing mode and locked-mode disruption. With increased torque from neutral beam injection, neoclassical tearing modes in the core may phase-lock to each other without locking to external fields or structures that are stationary in the laboratory frame. The dynamic processes observed in these cases are in general agreement with theory, and detailed diagnosis allows for momentum transport analysis to be performed, revealing a significant torque density that peaks near the 2/1 rational surface. However, as the coupled rational surfaces are brought closer together by reducing q{sub 95}, additional momentum transport in excess of that required to attain a phase-locked state is sometimes observed. Rather than maintaining zero differential rotation (as is predicted to be dynamically stable by single-fluid, resistive MHD theory), these discharges develop hollow toroidal plasma fluid rotation profiles with reversed plasma flow shear in the region between the m/n = 3/2 and 2/1 islands. The additional forces expressed in this state are not readily accounted for, and therefore, analysis of these data highlights the impact of mode coupling on torque balance and the challenges associated with predicting the rotation dynamics of a fusion reactor—a key issue for ITER.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Electrically Tunable Integrated Thin-Film Magnetoelectric Resonators

Magnetoelectrics have attracted much attention for their ability to control magnetic behavior electrically and electrical behavior magnetically. This feature provides numerous benefits to electronic systems and can potentially serve as the bridge needed to integrate magnetic devices into mainstream electronics. This natural next step is pursued and thin-film integrated magnetoelectric devices are produced for radio-frequency (RF) electronics. The first fully integrated, thin-film magnetoelectric modulators for tunable RF electronics are presented. Moreover, these devices provide electric field control of magnetic permeability in order to change the phase velocity and resonance frequency of coplanar waveguides. During this study, the various thin-film material phenomena, trade-offs, and integration considerations for composite magnetoelectrics are analyzed and discussed. The fabricated devices achieve reversible tunability of the resonance frequency, characterized by a remarkable converse magnetoelectric coupling coefficient of up to 24 mG cm V -1 using just thin films. Based on this work, suggestions are given for additional optimizations of future designs that will maximize the thin-film magnetoelectric interactions.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Spin waves in the soft layer of exchange-coupled soft/hard bilayers

The magnetic dynamical properties of the soft layer in exchange-coupled soft/hard bilayers have been investigated numerically using a one-dimensional atomic chain model. The frequencies and spatial profiles of spin wave eigenmodes are calculated during the magnetization reversal process of the soft layer. The spin wave modes exhibit a spatially modulated amplitude, which is especially evident for high-order modes. A dynamic pinning effect of surface magnetic moment is observed. The spin wave eigenfrequency decreases linearly with the increase of the magnetic field in the uniformly magnetized state and increases nonlinearly with field when spiral magnetization configuration is formed in the soft layer.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Morphogenesis of spin cycloids in a noncollinear antiferromagnet

Pattern formation in spin systems with continuous-rotational symmetry (CRS) provides a powerful platform to study emergent complex magnetic phases and topological defects in condensed-matter physics. However, its understanding and correlation with unconventional magnetic order along with high-resolution nanoscale imaging are challenging. Here, we employ scanning nitrogen vacancy (NV) magnetometry to unveil the morphogenesis of spin cycloids at both the local and global scales within a single ferroelectric domain of (111)-oriented BiFeO 3 , which is a noncollinear antiferromagnet, resulting in formation of a glassy labyrinthine pattern. We find that the domains of locally oriented cycloids are interconnected by an array of topological defects and exhibit isotropic energy landscape predicted by first-principles calculations. We propose that the CRS of spin-cycloid propagation directions within the (111) drives the formation of the labyrinthine pattern and the associated topological defects such as antiferromagnetic skyrmions. Unexpectedly, reversing the as-grown ferroelectric polarization from [$\overline{1}$ $\overline{1}$ $\overline{1}$] to [111] produces a noncycloidal NV image contrast which ¯ could be attributed to either the emergence of a uniformly magnetized state or a reversal of the cycloid polarity. These findings highlight that (111)-oriented BiFeO 3 is not only important for studying the fascinating subject of pattern formation but could also be utilized as an ideal platform for integrating novel topological defects in the field of antiferromagnetic spintronics.

magnetoelectric↗

Nonlinear saturation of reverse shear Alfvén eigenmodes induced by kinetic electrons

A strong nonlinear saturation mechanism of the reverse shear Alfvén eigenmode (RSAE) induced by thermal electrons is observed in gyrokinetic $\delta$$f$ particle-in-cell simulation. This nonlinear effect occurs at moderate mode amplitude, $\delta$$B$ ⟂ /$B$ < 10 -3 , and is associated with the electron parallel streaming along the perturbed magnetic field lines, the term v $\|$ $\frac{δΒ_{⟂}}{B}$ ∙ ∇$\delta$$f$, in the electron drift-kinetic equation. In the case of an n = 4 RSAE, where n is the toroidal mode number, this magnetic fluttering nonlinearity leads to strong mode coupling and broadening of the saturation spectrum. The nonlinear components, which are highly damped through the interaction between thermal electrons and the parallel electric field, modifies the RSAE mode structure and suppresses energetic particle drive significantly. The split-weight scheme (Chen and Parker 2007 J. Comput. Phys. 220 839–55) is used to simulate kinetic electrons.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Majorana Kramers pair in a nematic vortex

A time-reversal (TR) invariant topological superconductor is characterized by a Kramers pair of Majorana zero-energy modes on boundaries and in a core of a TR invariant vortex. A vortex defect that preserves TR symmetry has remained primarily of theoretical interest, since typically a magnetic field, which explicitly breaks TR, needs to be applied to create vortices in superconductors. In this paper, we show that an odd-parity topological superconductor with a nematic pairing order parameter can host a nematic vortex that preserves TR symmetry and binds a Majorana Kramers pair. Such a nematic superconductor could be realized in metal-doped Bi 2 Se 3 , as suggested by recent experiments. We provide an analytic solution for the zero modes in a continuous nematic vortex. In lattice, crystalline anisotropy can pin the two-component order parameter along high-symmetry directions. We show that a discrete nematic vortex, which forms when three nematic domains meet, also supports a TR pair of Majorana modes. Lastly, we discuss possible experiments to probe the zero modes.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗