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D. M. Edwards

Publications and source records attributed to D. M. Edwards.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
arXiv2018

Theory of damping in magnetization dynamics, dispelling a myth and pointing a way forward

There is a widely-held belief amongst theoreticians that the Gilbert damping parameter α in magnetization dynamics is infinite for a pure metal at T=0. The basic error leading to this belief is pointed out explicitly and the various methods of calculation used are viewed in a unified way based on the Lorentzian lineshape of ferromagnetic resonance spectra. A general torque formula for α is proposed as a good starting-point for treating inhomogeneous materials such as alloys, compounds and layered structures. Local spin density functional theory provides a simple physical picture, in terms of a non-uniform precessional cone angle in ferromagnetic resonance, of how such inhomogeneity contributes to the damping. In a complementary many-body theory this contribution is given by a vertex correction to the torque-torque response function.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗
arXiv2015

The absence of intraband scattering in a consistent theory of Gilbert damping in metallic ferromagnets

Damping of magnetization dynamics in a ferromagnetic metal is usually characterized by the Gilbert parameter alpha. Recent calculations of this quantity, using a formula due to Kambersky, find that it is infinite for a perfect crystal owing to an intraband scattering term which is of third order in the spin-orbit parameter xi This surprising result conflicts with recent work by Costa and Muniz who study damping numerically by direct calculation of the dynamical transverse spin susceptibility in the presence of spin-orbit coupling. We resolve this inconsistency by following the Costa-Muniz approach for a slightly simplified model where it is possible to calculate alpha analytically. We show that to second order in the spin-orbit parameter xi one retrieves the Kambersky result for alpha, but to higher order one does not obtain any divergent intraband terms. The present work goes beyond that of Costa and Muniz by pointing out the necessity of including the effect of long-range Coulomb interaction in calculating damping for large xi. A direct derivation of the Kambersky formula is given which shows clearly the restriction of its validity to second order in xi so that no intraband scattering terms appear. This restriction has an important effect on the damping over a substantial range of impurity content and temperature. The experimental situation is discussed.

cond-mat.str-el↗
arXiv2009

Emergence of local magnetic moments in doped graphene-related materials

Motivated by recent studies reporting the formation of localized magnetic moments in doped graphene, we investigate the energetic cost for spin polarizing isolated impurities embedded in this material. When a well-known criterion for the formation of local magnetic moments in metals is applied to graphene we are able to predict the existence of magnetic moments in cases that are in clear contrast to previously reported Density Functional Theory (DFT) results. When generalized to periodically repeated impurities, a geometry so commonly used in most DFT-calculations, this criterion shows that the energy balance involved in such calculations contains unavoidable contributions from the long-ranged pairwise magnetic interactions between all impurities. This proves the fundamental inadequacy of the DFT-assumption of independent unit cells in the case of magnetically doped low-dimensional graphene-based materials. We show that this can be circumvented if more than one impurity per unit cell is considered, in which case the DFT results agree perfectly well with the criterion-based predictions for the onset of localized magnetic moments in graphene. Furthermore, the existence of such a criterion determining whether or not a magnetic moment is likely to arise within graphene will be instrumental for predicting the ideal materials for future carbon-based spintronic applications.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗
arXiv2008

The quantum-mechanical basis of an extended Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert equation for a current-carrying ferromagnetic wire

An extended Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert (LLG) equation is introduced to describe the dynamics of inhomogeneous magnetization in a current-carrying wire. The coefficients of all the terms in this equation are calculated quantum-mechanically for a simple model which includes impurity scattering. This is done by comparing the energies and lifetimes of a spin wave calculated from the LLG equation and from the explicit model. Two terms are of particular importance since they describe non-adiabatic spin-transfer torque and damping processes which do not rely on spin-orbit coupling. It is shown that these terms may have a significant influence on the velocity of a current-driven domain wall and they become dominant in the case of a narrow wall.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗
arXiv2008

Non-equilibrium magnetism in dual spin valves

The field of spin electronics (spintronics) was initiated by the discovery of giant magnetoresistance (GMR) for which Fert[1] and Grunberg[2] were awarded the 2007 Nobel Prize for Physics. GMR arises from differential scattering of the majority and minority spin electrons by a ferromagnet (FM) so that the resistance when the FM layers separated by non-magnetic (NM) spacers are aligned by an applied field is different to when they are antiparallel. In 1996 Slonczewski[3] and Berger[4] predicted that a large spin-polarised current could transfer spin-angular momentum and so exert a spin transfer torque (STT) sufficient to switch thin FM layers between stable magnetisation states[5] and, for even higher current densities, drive continuous precession which emits microwaves[6]. Thus, while GMR is a purely passive phenomenon which ultimately depends on the intrinsic band structure of the FM, STT adds an active element to spintronics by which the direction of the magnetisation may be manipulated. Here we show that highly non-equilibrium spin injection can modify the scattering asymmetry and, by extension, the intrinsic magnetism of a FM. This phenomenon is completely different to STT and provides a third ingredient which should further expand the range of opportunities for the application of spintronics.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗
arXiv2008

Correlation-induced metal insulator transition in a two-channel fermion-boson model

We investigate charge transport within some background medium by means of an effective lattice model with a novel form of fermion-boson coupling. The bosons describe fluctuations of a correlated background. By analyzing groundstate and spectral properties of this transport model, we show how a metal-insulator quantum phase transition can occur for the half-filled band case. We discuss the evolution of a mass-asymmetric band structure in the insulating phase and establish connections to the Mott and Peierls transition scenarios.

cond-mat.str-el↗
arXiv2007

Boson-controlled quantum transport

We study the interplay of collective dynamics and damping in the presence of correlations and bosonic fluctuations within the framework of a newly proposed model, which captures the principal transport mechanisms that apply to a variety of physical systems. We establish close connections to the transport of lattice and spin polarons, or the dynamics of a particle coupled to a bath. We analyse the model by exactly calculating the optical conductivity, Drude weight, spectral functions, groundstate dispersion and particle-boson correlation functions for a 1D infinite system.

cond-mat.str-el↗
arXiv2006

High-temperature ferromagnetism of $sp$ electrons in narrow impurity bands: Application to CaB$_6$

Ferromagnetism with high Curie temperature $T_c$, well above room temperature, and very small saturation moment has been reported in various carbon and boron systems. It is argued that the magnetization must be very inhomogeneous with only a small fraction of the sample ferromagnetically ordered. It is shown that a possible source of high $T_c$ within the ferromagnetic regions is itinerant electrons occupying a narrow impurity band. Correlation effects do not reduce the effective interaction which enters the Stoner criterion in the same way as in a bulk band. It is also shown how, in the impurity band case, spin wave excitations may not be effective in lowering $T_c$ below its value given by Stoner theory. These ideas are applied to CaB$_6$ and a thorough review of the experimental situation in this material is given. It is suggested that the intrinsic magnetism of the B$_2$ and O$_2$ dimers might be exploited in suitable structures containing these elements.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗
arXiv2005

Polaronic Quasiparticles in a Strongly Correlated Electron Band

We show that a strongly renormalized band of polaronic quasiparticle excitations is induced at the Fermi level of an interacting many-electron system on increasing the coupling of the electrons to local phonons. We give results for the local density of states at zero temperature both for the electrons and phonons. The polaronic quasiparticles satisfy Luttinger's theorem for all regimes considered, and their dispersion shows a kink similar to that observed experimentally in copper oxides. We calculate the quasiparticle weight factor $z$ and deduce the local effective inter-quasiparticle interaction $\tilde U$. Our calculations are based on the dynamical mean field theory and the numerical renormalization group for the hole-doped Holstein-Hubbard model and large on-site repulsion.

cond-mat.str-el↗
arXiv2004

A selfconsistent theory of current-induced switching of magnetization

A selfconsistent theory of the current-induced switching of magnetization using nonequilibrium Keldysh formalism is developed for a junction of two ferromagnets separated by a nonmagnetic spacer. It is shown that the spin-transfer torques responsible for current-induced switching of magnetization can be calculated from first principles in a steady state when the magnetization of the switching magnet is stationary. The spin-transfer torque is expressed in terms of one-electron surface Green functions for the junction cut into two independent parts by a cleavage plane immediately to the left and right of the switching magnet. The surface Green functions are calculated using a tight-binding Hamiltonian with parameters determined from a fit to an {\it ab initio} band structure.This treatment yields the spin transfer torques taking into account rigorously contributions from all the parts of the junction. To calculate the hysteresis loops of resistance versus current, and hence to determine the critical current for switching, the microscopically calculated spin-transfer torques are used as an input into the phenomenological Landau-Lifshitz equation with Gilbert damping. The present calculations for Co/Cu/Co(111) show that the critical current for switching is $\approx 10^7A/cm^2$, which is in good agreement with experiment.

cond-mat.other↗
arXiv2002

Spectral properties of the Holstein double-exchange model and application to manganites

Calculations of one-electron spectral functions, optical conductivity and spin-wave energy in the Holstein double-exchange model are made using the many-body coherent potential approximation. Satisfactory agreement is obtained with angle-resolved photoemission results on La_1.2Sr_1.8Mn_2O_7 and optical measurements on Nd_0.7Sr_0.3MnO_3. A pseudogap in the one-electron spectrum at the Fermi level plays an important role in both systems, but a small-polaron band is only predicted to exist in the La system. A rigorous upper bound on spin-wave energies at T=0 is derived. The spin-wave stiffness constant D decreases with increasing electron-phonon coupling g in a similar way to the Curie temperature Tc, but D/(k_B Tc) increases for large g (low Tc) as observed experimentally.

cond-mat.str-el↗
arXiv2002

Ferromagnetism and electron-phonon coupling in the manganites

The physics of ferromagnetic doped manganites, such as \chem{La_{1-x}Ca_xMnO_3} with $x\approx0.2$--0.4, is reviewed. The concept of double exchange is discussed within the general framework of itinerant electron magnetism. The new feature in this context is the coupling of electrons to local phonon modes. Emphasis is placed on the quantum nature of the phonons and the link with polaron physics. However it is stressed that the manganites fall in an intermediate coupling regime where standard small-polaron theory does not apply. The recently-developed many-body coherent potential approximation is able to deal with this situation and Green's recent application to the Holstein double-exchange model is described. Issues addressed include the nature of the basic electronic structure, the metal-insulator transition, a unification of colossal magnetoresistance, pressure effects and the isotope effect, pseudogaps in spectroscopy and the effect of electron-phonon coupling on spin waves.

cond-mat.str-el↗
arXiv2001

Ferromagnetism and Transport in the Double-Exchange Model, with and without Phonons; Application to the Manganites

An introduction is given to the many-body coherent potential approximation (CPA) for the double-exchange (DE) model and the Holstein-DE model, the latter including coupling of the electrons to local phonons as well as to local spins. It is shown how the method can treat the local spins and phonons quantum-mechanically and how it is equivalent to dynamical mean field theory in the classical limit. In the Holstein-DE model a full discussion is given of the cross-over from weak electron-phonon coupling through intermediate coupling, where small-polaron bands begin to appear, to strong coupling where some results similar to those of standard small-polaron theory are recovered. The theory is applied to ferromagnetic manganites with a full discussion of magnetic, transport and spectroscopic data. It is found that many manganites are in the critical regime on the verge of small-polaron formation, which explains their sensitivity to parameters such as applied magnetic field and pressure.

cond-mat.str-el↗
arXiv1999

Magnetic susceptibility of the double exchange model

Previously a many-body coherent potential approximation (CPA) was used to study the double exchange (DE) model with quantum local spins S, both for S=1/2 and for general S in the paramagnetic state. This approximation, exact in the atomic limit, was considered to be a many-body extension of Kubo's one-electron dynamical CPA for the DE model. We now extend our CPA treatment to the case of general S and spin polarization. We show that Kubo's one-electron CPA is always recovered in the empty-band limit and that our CPA is equivalent to dynamical mean field theory in the classical spin limit. We then solve our CPA equations self-consistently to obtain the static magnetic susceptibility chi in the strong-coupling limit. As in the case of the CPA for the Hubbard model we find unphysical behaviour in chi at half-filling and no magnetic transition for any finite S. We identify the reason for this failure of our approximation and propose a modification which gives the correct Curie-law behaviour of chi at half-filling and a transition to ferromagnetism for all S.

cond-mat.str-el↗
arXiv1999

Electronic structure and resistivity of the double exchange model

The double exchange (DE) model with quantum local spins S is studied; an equation of motion approach is used and decoupling approximations analogous to Hubbard's are made. Our approximate one-electron Green function G is exact in the atomic limit of zero bandwidth for all S and band filling n, and as n->0 reduces to a dynamical coherent potential approximation (CPA) due to Kubo; we regard our approximation as a many-body generalisation of Kubo's CPA. G is calculated self-consistently for general S in the paramagnetic state and for S=1/2 in a state of arbitrary magnetization. The electronic structure is investigated and four bands per spin are obtained centred on the atomic limit peaks of the spectral function. A resistivity formula appropriate to the model is derived from the Kubo formula and the paramagnetic state resistivity rho is calculated; insulating states are correctly obtained at n=0 and n=1 for strong Hund coupling. Our prediction for rho is much too small to be consistent with experiments on manganites so we agree with Millis et al that the bare DE model is inadequate. We show that the agreement with experiment obtained by Furukawa is due to his use of an unphysical density of states.

cond-mat.str-el↗
arXiv1998

Magnetism and Electronic States of Systems with Strong Hund Coupling

This paper is a brief review of our recent studies concerning on magnetism and electronic states of lattice systems with Hund coupling. First we examined the effectiveness of the Hund coupling in realizing ferromagnetism in the doubly degenerate Hubbard model. One- and infinite-dimensional systems were studied and thereby dimensional dependence was discussed. In quarter-filled systems the insulating ferromagnetic state accompanied by alternating orbital order was found stable. In more-than-quarter filling cases metallic ferromagnetism is stabilized by the ``double exchange mechanism''. These results are common to one and infinite dimensions. In less-than-quarter filling cases the ferromagnetic ground state is stable in one dimension but not in infinite dimensions. Secondly we examined the electronic states and the resistivity in the double exchange model by using the one-particle Green function. The splitting and narrowing of the one-particle spectrum due to the Hund coupling were clarified in the framework of a single-site approximation. The resistivity due to the scattering by random localized spins was shown to be too small to explain the experimental results of doped manganites.

cond-mat.str-el↗
arXiv1996

Fundamental Oscillation Periods of the Interlayer Exchange Coupling beyond the RKKY Approximation

A general method for obtaining the oscillation periods of the interlayer exchange coupling is presented. It is shown that it is possible for the coupling to oscillate with additional periods beyond the ones predicted by the RKKY theory. The relation between the oscillation periods and the spacer Fermi surface is clarified, showing that non-RKKY periods do not bear a direct correspondence with the Fermi surface. The interesting case of a FCC(110) structure is investigated, unmistakably proving the existence and relevance of non-RKKY oscillations. The general conditions for the occurrence of non-RKKY oscillations are also presented.

cond-mat.str-el↗