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E. Choi

Publications and source records attributed to E. Choi.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

Geometric tuning of charge and spin correlations in manganite superlattices

We report a modulation of the in-plane magnetotransport in artificial manganite superlattice (SL) [(NdMnO3)n /(SrMnO3)n /(LaMnO3)n]m by varying the layer thickness n while keeping the total thickness of the structure constant. Charge transport in these heterostructures is confined to the interfaces and occurs via variable range hopping (VRH). Upon increasing n, the interfacial separation rises, leading to a suppression of the electrostatic screening between carriers of neighboring interfaces and the opening of a Coulomb gap at the Fermi level (EF). The high-field magnetoresistance (MR) is universally negative due to progressive spin alignment. However at a critical thickness of n=5 unit cells (u.c.), an exchange field coupling between ferromagnetically ordered interfaces results in positive MR at low magnetic field (H). Our results demonstrate the ability to geometrically tune the electrical transport between regimes dominated by either charge or spin correlations.

cond-mat.str-el

Tunable ferroelectricity in artificial tri-layer superlattices comprised of non-ferroic components

Heterostructured material systems devoid of ferroic components are presumed not to display ordering associated with ferroelectricity. In heterostructures composed of transition metal oxides, however, the disruption introduced by an interface can affect the balance of the competing interactions among electronic spins, charges and orbitals. This has led to the emergence of properties absent in the original building blocks of a heterostructure, including metallicity, magnetism and superconductivity. Here we report the discovery of ferroelectricity in artificial tri-layer superlattices consisting solely of non-ferroelectric NdMnO3/SrMnO3/LaMnO3 layers. Ferroelectricity was observed below 40 K exhibiting strong tunability by superlattice periodicity. Furthermore, magnetoelectric coupling resulted in 150% magnetic modulation of the polarization. Density functional calculations indicate that broken space inversion symmetry and mixed valency, because of cationic asymmetry and interfacial polar discontinuity, respectively, give rise to the observed behavior. Our results demonstrate the engineering of asymmetric layered structures with emergent ferroelectric and magnetic field tunable functions distinct from that of normal devices, for which the components are typically ferroelectrics.

cond-mat.str-el

Mass and Angular Momentum Transfer in the Massive Algol Binary RY Persei

We present an investigation of H-alpha emission line variations observed in the massive Algol binary, RY Per. We give new radial velocity data for the secondary based upon our optical spectra and for the primary based upon high dispersion UV spectra. We present revised orbital elements and an estimate of the primary's projected rotational velocity (which indicates that the primary is rotating 7 times faster than synchronous). We use a Doppler tomography algorithm to reconstruct the individual primary and secondary spectra in the region of H-alpha, and we subtract the latter from each of our observations to obtain profiles of the primary and its disk alone. Our H-alpha observations of RY Per show that the mass gaining primary is surrounded by a persistent but time variable accretion disk. The profile that is observed outside-of-eclipse has weak, double-peaked emission flanking a deep central absorption, and we find that these properties can be reproduced by a disk model that includes the absorption of photospheric light by the band of the disk seen in projection against the face of the star. We developed a new method to reconstruct the disk surface density distribution from the ensemble of H-alpha profiles observed around the orbit, and this method accounts for the effects of disk occultation by the stellar components, the obscuration of the primary by the disk, and flux contributions from optically thick disk elements. The resulting surface density distribution is elongated along the axis joining the stars, in the same way as seen in hydrodynamical simulations of gas flows that strike the mass gainer near trailing edge of the star. This type of gas stream configuration is optimal for the transfer of angular momentum, and we show that rapid rotation is found in other Algols that have passed through a similar stage.

astro-ph

Magneto-Optics of type-II superconductors

The magneto-optical activity of superconducting ${\rm YBa}_{2}{\rm Cu}_{3}{\rm O}_{7}$ observed by Karrai {\it et al.} is not present in many commonly employed models of vortex dynamics. Here we propose a simple, unifying picture for the frequency dependent magneto-optic response of type-II superconductors at low temperatures. We bring together Kohn's theorem, vortex core excitations, and vortex pinning and damping into a single expression for the conductivity tensor. The theory describes magneto-optical activity observed in infrared transmission measurements of thin films of ${\rm YBa}_{2}{\rm Cu}_{3}{\rm O}_{7}$.

cond-mat