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Results for “KERR EFFECT”

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 145 records · Page 8
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2014

Different temperature scaling of strain-induced magneto-crystalline anisotropy and Gilbert damping in Co{sub 2}FeAl film epitaxied on GaAs

The temperature dependence of the Gilbert damping and magnetic anisotropy are investigated in L2{sub 1} Co{sub 2}FeAl films epitaxially grown on GaAs (001) substrate by the time resolved magneto-optical Kerr effect. We found that the in-plane biaxial anisotropy increases by more than 90% with the temperature decreasing from 300 K to 80 K, which is mainly due to the strong variation of the magneto-elastic coefficients. In contrast, the intrinsic Gilbert damping rises only about 10%, which is mainly attributed to the reduction of the electron phonon scattering rate, independent of the strain-induced spin-orbit coupling energy.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2013

Room temperature in-plane 〈100〉 magnetic easy axis for Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4}/SrTiO{sub 3}(001):Nb grown by infrared pulsed laser deposition

We examine the magnetic easy-axis directions of stoichiometric magnetite films grown on SrTiO{sub 3}:Nb by infrared pulsed-laser deposition. Spin-polarized low-energy electron microscopy reveals that the individual magnetic domains are magnetized along the in-plane 〈100〉 film directions. Magneto-optical Kerr effect measurements show that the maxima of the remanence and coercivity are also along in-plane 〈100〉 film directions. This easy-axis orientation differs from bulk magnetite and films prepared by other techniques, establishing that the magnetic anisotropy can be tuned by film growth.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2015

Fast strain wave induced magnetization changes in long cobalt bars: Domain motion versus coherent rotation

A high frequency (88 MHz) traveling strain wave on a piezoelectric substrate is shown to change the magnetization direction in 40 μm wide Co bars with an aspect ratio of 10{sup 3}. The rapidly alternating strain wave rotates the magnetization away from the long axis into the short axis direction, via magnetoelastic coupling. Strain-induced magnetization changes have previously been demonstrated in ferroelectric/ferromagnetic heterostructures, with excellent fidelity between the ferromagnet and the ferroelectric domains, but these experiments were limited to essentially dc frequencies. Both magneto-optical Kerr effect and polarized neutron reflectivity confirm that the traveling strain wave does rotate the magnetization away from the long axis direction and both yield quantitatively similar values for the rotated magnetization. An investigation of the behavior of short axis magnetization with increasing strain wave amplitude on a series of samples with variable edge roughness suggests that the magnetization reorientation that is seen proceeds solely via coherent rotation. Polarized neutron reflectivity data provide direct experimental evidence for this model. This is consistent with expectations that domain wall motion cannot track the rapidly varying strain.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

A dynamic and ultrafast group delay tuning mechanism in two microcavities side-coupled with a waveguide system

We theoretically propose a dynamic and ultrafast group delay tuning mechanism in two microcavities side-coupled to a waveguide system through external optical pump beams. The optical Kerr effect modulation method is applied to improve tuning rate with response time of subpicoseconds or even femtoseconds. The group delay of an all-optical analog to electromagnetically induced transparency effect can be controlled by tuning either the frequency of photonic crystal microcavities or the propagation phase of line waveguide. Group delay is controlled between 5.88 and 70.98 ps by dynamically tuning resonant frequencies of the microcavities. Alternatively, the group delay is controlled between 1.86 and 12.08 ps by dynamically tuning the propagation phase of line waveguide. All observed schemes are analyzed rigorously through finite-difference time-domain simulations and coupled-mode formalism. Results show a new direction toward microstructure integration optical pulse trapping and all-optical dynamical storage of light devices in optical communication and quantum information processing.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2016

Third order nonlinear optical response exhibited by mono- and few-layers of WS 2

In this work, strong third order nonlinear optical properties exhibited by WS 2 layers are presented. Optical Kerr effect was identified as the dominant physical mechanism responsible for these third order optical nonlinearities. An extraordinary nonlinear refractive index together with an important contribution of a saturated absorptive response was observed to depend on the atomic layer stacking. Comparative experiments performed in mono- and few-layer samples of WS 2 revealed that this material is potentially capable of modulating nonlinear optical processes by selective near resonant induced birefringence. In conclusion, we envision applications for developing all-optical bidimensional nonlinear optical devices.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2015

Influence of controlled surface oxidation on the magnetic anisotropy of Co ultrathin films

We studied the influence of controlled surface-limited oxidation of electrodeposited epitaxial Co(0001)/Au(111) films on their magnetic anisotropy energy using real time in situ magneto optical Kerr effect and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. We investigated the Co first electrochemical oxidation step which we demonstrate to be completely reversible and determined the structure of this oxide layer. We show that the interface magnetic anisotropy of the Co film increases by 0.36 erg/cm{sup 2} upon Co surface oxidation. We performed DFT calculations to determine the different surface structures in a wide potential range as well as the charge transfer at the Co surface. Our results suggest that the magnetic anisotropy change is correlated with a positive charge increase of 0.54 e{sup −} for the Co surface atom upon oxidation.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2018

Stochastic Dynamics of a Ferromagnetic Vortex Revealed by Single-Spin Magnetometry

We study the dynamics of a magnetic vortex in a permalloy disk, as it is switched between bistable pinning sites in the presence of room-temperature thermal noise. We use static and time-resolved magneto-optical Kerr-effect microscopy to characterize the equilibrium and nonequilibrium motion of the vortex in response to a train of magnetic field pulses. The limitations of this approach due to inhomogeneous averaging are overcome by using a proximal nitrogen-vacancy spin in diamond to probe the final position of the vortex core following a single magnetic field pulse. Repeating this single-shot measurement, we characterize the probability of switching between two bistable pinning sites as a function of pulse time. Here, we develop a simple model of the stochastic vortex trajectory through the pinning sites’ basins of attraction to understand how the separate contributions of damping and dephasing result in the observed switching behavior.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2015

A flexible experimental setup for femtosecond time-resolved broad-band ellipsometry and magneto-optics

A versatile experimental setup for femtosecond time-resolved ellipsometry and magneto-optical Kerr effect measurements in the visible light range is described. The apparatus is based on the pump-probe technique and combines a broad-band probing beam with an intense near-infrared pump. According to Fresnel scattering matrix formalism, the analysis of the reflected beam at different polarization states of the incident probe light allows one to determine the diagonal and the off-diagonal elements of the dielectric tensor in the investigated sample. Moreover, the pump-probe method permits to study the dynamics of the dielectric response after a short and intense optical excitation. The performance of the experimental apparatus is tested on CrO{sub 2} single crystals as a benchmark.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2015

Wavelength-dependent magnetic transitions of self-organized iron–aluminum stripes induced by pulsed laser irradiation

We investigate the laser wavelength dependence of structural and magnetic transitions on the surface of an iron–aluminum (FeAl) alloy induced by nanosecond pulsed laser irradiation. The formation of self-organized FeAl stripes with a wavelength-dependent period is observed in a local area on the (111)-oriented plane. Focused magneto-optical Kerr effect measurements reveal that the coercivity reaches up to 1.2 kOe with increasing the magnetic field rotation angle, which is estimated from the stripe direction, in FeAl stripes irradiated at 355 nm, and its magnetization reversal can be explained by the domain-wall motion model. On the other hand, the magnetization reversal agrees with the Stoner–Wohlfarth model in FeAl stripes irradiated at 1064 nm. This magnetic transition originates from the B2-to-A2 phase transition in stripe structures and bulk regions. These results indicate that the magnetic transition from the incoherent to coherent mode as well as the structural transformation of stripe patterns can be controlled by the incident laser wavelength.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2015

Open volume defects and magnetic phase transition in Fe{sub 60}Al{sub 40} transition metal aluminide

Magnetic phase transition in the Fe{sub 60}Al{sub 40} transition metal aluminide from the ferromagnetic disordered A2-phase to the paramagnetic ordered B2-phase as a function of annealing up to 1000 °C has been investigated by means of magneto-optical and spectroscopy techniques, i.e., Kerr effect, positron annihilation, and Mössbauer spectroscopy. The positron annihilation spectroscopy has been performed in-situ sequentially after each annealing step at the Apparatus for In-situ Defect Analysis that is a unique tool combining positron annihilation spectroscopy with temperature treatment, material evaporation, ion irradiation, and sheet resistance measurement techniques. The overall goal was to investigate the importance of the open volume defects onto the magnetic phase transition. No evidence of variation in the vacancy concentration in matching the magnetic phase transition temperature range (400–600 °C) has been found, whereas higher temperatures showed an increase in the vacancy concentration.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

A multi-functional testing instrument for heat assisted magnetic recording media

With recent developments in heat assisted magnetic recording (HAMR), characterization of HAMR media is becoming very important. We present a multi-functional instrument for testing HAMR media, which integrates HAMR writing, reading, and a micro-magneto-optic Kerr effect (μ-MOKE) testing function. A potential application of the present instrument is to make temperature dependent magnetic property measurement using a pump-probe configuration. In the measurement, the media is heated up by a heating (intense) beam while a testing (weak) beam is overlapped with the heating beam for MOKE measurement. By heating the media with different heating beam power, magnetic measurements by MOKE at different temperatures can be performed. Compared to traditional existing tools such as the vibrating sample magnetometer, the present instrument provides localized and efficient heating at the measurement spot. The integration of HAMR writing and μ-MOKE system can also facilitate a localized full investigation of the magnetic media by potential correlation of HAMR head independent write/read performance to localized magnetic properties.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2015

Nanocrystalline zinc ferrite films studied by magneto-optical spectroscopy

Ferrimagnetic Zn-ferrite (ZnFe{sub 2}O{sub 4}) films can be grown with the ferromagnetic resonance linewidth of 40 Oe at 9.5 GHz without going through a high temperature processing. This presents interest for applications. The work deals with laser ablated ZnFe{sub 2}O{sub 4} films deposited at O{sub 2} pressure of 0.16 mbar onto fused quartz substrates. The films about 120 nm thick are nanocrystalline and their spontaneous magnetization, 4πM{sub s}, depends on the nanograin size, which is controlled by the substrate temperature (T{sub s}). At T{sub s} ≈ 350 °C, where the grain distribution peaks around ∼20–30 nm, the room temperature 4πM{sub s} reaches a maximum of ∼2.3 kG. The films were studied by magnetooptical polar Kerr effect (MOKE) spectroscopy at photon energies between 1 and 5 eV. The complementary characteristics were provided by spectral ellipsometry (SE). Both the SE and MOKE spectra confirmed ferrimagnetic ordering. The structural details correspond to those observed in MgFe{sub 2}O{sub 4} and Li{sub 0.5}Fe{sub 2.5}O{sub 4} spinels. SE experiments confirm the insulator behavior. The films display MOKE amplitudes somewhat reduced with respect to those in Li{sub 0.5}Fe{sub 2.5}O{sub 4} and MgFe{sub 2}O{sub 4} due to a lower degree of spinel inversion and nanocrystalline structure. The results indicate that the films are free of oxygen vacancies and Fe{sup 3+}-Fe{sup 2+} exchange.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Suppression of stochastic pinning in magnetic nanowire devices using “virtual” domain walls

We have investigated the pinning and depinning of “virtual” domain walls in planar magnetic nanowires. Such virtual walls are created when a conventional domain wall becomes annihilated at a narrow gap between two segments of a discontinuous nanowire. By using focused magneto-optical Kerr effect magnetometry to study the repeatability of their depinning, we show that virtual walls exhibit single-mode depinning distributions, characterized by remarkably low, sub-Oersted standard deviations. This is in stark contrast to the depinning of domain walls from conventional notch-shaped defects, which typically exhibit multi-mode depinning field distributions spanning tens to hundreds of Oersteds. High-resolution magnetic soft x-ray microscopy measurements are used to reveal that this high level of repeatability is the result of a simple mediated-nucleation process, which decouples the depinning mechanism from structure of the initially injected DWs. Our work serves as an example of how the complex and dynamical stochastic behaviors exhibited by domain walls in nanowires can be controlled.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2015

Distinguishing the laser-induced spin precession excitation mechanism in Fe/MgO(001) through field orientation dependent measurements

Rotational field dependence of laser-induced magnetization precession in a single-crystal Fe/MgO(001) sample was studied by the time resolved magneto-optical Kerr effect. Polar and longitudinal magnetization components were separated by measuring precession dynamics under opposite fields. When the applied field is weaker than the anisotropy field of an Fe film, the precession amplitude is small for the field direction near the easy axis and becomes larger as the field rotates towards the hard axis, showing a four-fold symmetry in agreement with the in-plane magnetic anisotropy; whereas at higher fields, the amplitude displays a drop near the hard axis. Such precession behavior can be well reproduced using an excitation model with rapidly modified but slowly recovered magnetic anisotropy and considering the elliptical precession trajectory. Our results indicate that the dominant mechanism for triggering Fe spin precession is the anisotropy modulation correlating with the lattice thermalization, rather than the transient anisotropy modulation due to the high electron temperature within 1 ps.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2014

Plasmon resonance enhanced large third-order optical nonlinearity and ultrafast optical response in Au nanobipyramids

The third-order optical nonlinearity and response time of Au nanobipyramids have been investigated by using optical Kerr effect technique. Large third-order nonlinear optical susceptibility (χ{sup (3)}) and ultrafast optical response time have been obtained at the longitudinal surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) wavelength. As the excitation laser wavelength varies from non-resonance wavelength of 780 nm to the LSPR wavelength of 825 nm, χ{sup (3)} increases from 7.4 × 10{sup −14} to 3.9 × 10{sup −13} esu, the fast component of the response time decreases from 141 ± 23 to 83 ± 8 fs and the ratio of the fast component remains around 48%, while the slow response time decreases from 3200 ± 200 to 2310 ± 158 fs. The large enhancement of χ{sup (3)} is due to the large local field enhancement caused by the surface plasmon resonance, and the shortening of the response times are induced by the increased probability of the electron-electron and electron-phonon scatterings in the nanosystem. This significant ultrafast optical property in Au nanobipyramids has great application in future ultrafast information processors.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2015

Optical spectroscopy of sputtered nanometer-thick yttrium iron garnet films

Nanometer (nm)-thick yttrium iron garnet (Y{sub 3}Fe{sub 5}O{sub 12}, YIG) films present interest for spintronics. This work employs spectral ellipsometry and magneto-optic Kerr effect (MOKE) spectra to characterize nm-thick YIG films grown on single-crystal Gd{sub 3}Ga{sub 5}O{sub 12} substrates by magnetron sputtering. The thickness (t) of the films ranges between 10 nm and 40 nm. Independent on t, the polar MOKE hysteresis loops saturate in the field of about 1.8 kOe, consistent with the saturation magnetization in bulk YIG (4πM{sub s} ≈ 1.75 kG). The MOKE spectrum measured at photon energies between 1.3 eV and 4.5 eV on the 38-nm-thick film agrees with that measured on single-crystal YIG bulk materials. The MOKE spectrum of the 12-nm-thick film still preserves the structure of the bulk YIG but its amplitude at lower photon energies is modified due to the fact that the radiation penetration depth exceeds 20 nm. The t dependence of the MOKE amplitude is consistent with MOKE calculations. The results indicate that the films are stoichiometric, strain free, without Fe{sup 2+}, and preserve bulk YIG properties down to t ≈ 10 nm.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2015

Interaction transfer of silicon atoms forming Co silicide for Co/√(3)×√(3)R30°-Ag/Si(111) and related magnetic properties

Combined scanning tunneling microscopy, Auger electron spectroscopy, and surface magneto-optic Kerr effect studies were employed to study the microscopic structures and magnetic properties for ultrathin Co/√(3)×√(3)R30°-Ag/Si(111). As the annealing temperature increases, the upward diffusion of Si atoms and formation of Co silicides occurs at temperature above 400 K. Below 600 K, the √(3)×√(3)R30°-Ag/Si(111) surface structure persists. We propose an interaction transferring mechanism of Si atoms across the √(3)×√(3)R30°-Ag layer. The upward transferred Si atoms react with Co atoms to form Co silicide. The step height across the edge of the island, a separation of 0.75 nm from the analysis of the 2 × 2 structure, and the calculations of the normalized Auger signal serve as strong evidences for the formation of CoSi{sub 2} at the interface. The interaction transferring mechanism for Si atoms enhances the possibility of interactions between Co and Si atoms. The smoothness of the surface is advantage for that the easy axis of magnetization for Co/√(3)×√(3)R30°-Ag/Si(111) is in the surface plane. This provides a possible way of growing flat magnetic layers on silicon substrate with controllable silicide formation and shows potential applications in spintronics devices.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗