arXiv subjects

J. Fransson

Publications and source records attributed to J. Fransson.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2020

Vibrational Origin of Exchange Splitting and Chirality Induced Spin Selectivity

Electron exchange and correlations emerging from the coupling between ionic vibrations and electrons are addressed. Spin-dependent electron-phonon coupling originates from the spin-orbit interaction, and it is shown that such electron-phonon coupling introduces exchange splitting between the spin channels in the structure. By application of these results to a model for a chiral molecular structure mounted between metallic leads, the chirality induced spin selectivity is found to become several tens of percents using experimentally feasible parameters.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2019

Investigation of the Yu-Shiba-Rusinov states of a multi-impurity Kondo system

Recent studies of mutually interacting magnetic atoms coupled to a superconductor have gained enormous interest due to the potential realization of topological superconductivity. The Kondo exchange coupling J_K of such atoms with the electrons in the superconductor has a pair-breaking effect which produces so-called Yu-Shiba-Rusinov (YSR) states within the superconducting energy gap, whose energetic positions are intimately connected with the requirements for topological superconductivity. Here, using the tip of a scanning tunneling microscope, we artificially craft a multi-impurity Kondo system coupled to a superconducting host consisting of an Fe adatom interacting with an assembly of interstitial Fe atoms on an oxygen-reconstructed Ta(100) surface and we experimentally investigate the signatures of Kondo screening and the YSR states. With the help of numerical renormalization group (NRG) calculations, we show that the observed behavior can be qualitatively reproduced by a two-impurity Kondo system whose inter-impurity antiferromagnetic interaction J is adjusted by the number of interstitial Fe atoms in the assembly. When driving the system from the regime of two decoupled Kondo singlets (small J) to that of an antiferromagnetic dimer (large J), the YSR state shows a characteristic cross-over in its energetic position and particle-hole asymmetry.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2019

Chirality Induced Spin Selectivity -- The Role of Electron Correlations

Chirality induced spin selectivity, discovered about two decades ago in helical molecules, is a non-equilibrium effect that emerges from the interplay between geometrical helicity and spin-orbit interactions. Several model Hamiltonians building on this interplay have been proposed and while these can yield spin-polarized transport properties that agrees with experimental observations, they simultaneously depend on unrealistic values of the spin-orbit interaction parameters. It is likely, however, that a common deficit originates from the fact that all these models are uncorrelated, or, single-electron theories. Therefore, chirality induced spin selectivity is, here, addressed using a many-body approach, which allows for non-equilibrium conditions and a systematic treatment of the correlated state. The intrinsic molecular spin-polarization increases by two orders of magnitudes, or more, compared to the corresponding result in the uncorrelated model. In addition, the electronic structure responds to varying external magnetic conditions which, therefore, enables comparisons of the currents provided for different spin-polarizations in one of the (or both) leads between which the molecule is mounted. Using experimentally feasible parameters and room temperature, the obtained normalized difference between such currents may be as large as 5 - 10 % for short molecular chains, clearly suggesting the vital importance of including electron correlations when searching for explanations of the phenomenon.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2019

Spin-driven electrical power generation at room temperature

To mitigate climate change, our global society is harnessing direct (solar irradiation) and indirect (wind/water flow) sources of renewable electrical power generation. Emerging direct sources include current-producing thermal gradients in thermoelectric materials, while quantum physics-driven processes to convert quantum information into energy have been demonstrated at very low temperatures. The magnetic state of matter, assembled by ordering the electron's quantum spin property, represents a sizeable source of built-in energy. We propose to create a direct source of electrical power at room temperature (RT) by utilizing magnetic energy to harvest thermal fluctuations on paramagnetic (PM) centers. Our spin engine rectifies current fluctuations across the PM centers' spin states according to the electron spin by utilizing so-called 'spinterfaces' with high spin polarization. As a rare experimental event, we demonstrate how this path can generate 0.1nW at room temperature across a 20 micron-wide spintronic device called the magnetic tunnel junction, assembled using commonplace Co, C and MgO materials. The presence of this path in our experiment, which also generates very high spintronic performance, is confirmed by analytical and ab-initio calculations. Device downscaling, and the ability for other materials systems than the spinterface to select a transport spin channel at RT widens opportunities for routine device reproduction. The challenging control over PM centers within the tunnel barrier's nanotransport path may be addressed using oxide- and organic-based nanojunctions. At present densities in MRAM products, this spin engine could lead to 'always-on' areal power densities well beyond that generated by solar irradiation on earth. Further developing this concept can fundamentally alter our energy-driven society's global economic, social and geopolitical constructs.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2018

Universal voltage scaling due to self-averaging of the quantum corrections in graphene

The differential conductance of graphene is shown to exhibit a zero-bias anomaly at low temperatures, arising from a suppression of the quantum corrections due to weak localization and electron interactions. A simple rescaling of these data, free of any adjustable parameters, shows that this anomaly exhibits a universal, temperature- ($T$) independent form. According to this, the differential conductance is approximately constant at small voltages ($V<k_BT/e$), while at larger voltages it increases logarithmically with the applied bias, reflecting a quenching of the quantum corrections. For theoretical insight into the origins of this behavior, we formulate a model for weak-localization in the presence of nonlinear transport. According to this, the voltage applied under nonequilibrium induces unavoidable dephasing, arising from a self-averaging of the diffusing electron waves responsible for transport. By establishing the manner in which the quantum corrections are suppressed in graphene, our study will be of broad relevance to the investigation of nonequilibrium transport in mesoscopic systems in general. This includes systems implemented from conventional metals and semiconductors, as well as those realized using other two-dimensional semiconductors and topological insulators.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2018

Electronically Mediated Magnetic Anisotropy in Vibrating Magnetic Molecules

We address the electronically induced anisotropy field acting on a spin moment comprised in a vibrating magnetic molecule located in the junction between ferromagnetic metals. Under weak coupling between the electrons and molecular vibrations, the nature of the anisotropy can be changed from favoring a high spin (easy axis) magnetic moment to a low spin (easy plane) by applying a temperature difference or a voltage bias across the junction. For unequal spin-polarizations in the ferromagnetic metals it is shown that the character of the anisotropy is essentially determined by the properties of the weaker ferromagnet. By increasing the temperature in this metal, or introducing a voltage bias, its influence can be suppressed such that the dominant contribution to the anisotropy is interchanged to the stronger ferromagnet. With increasing coupling strength between the molecular vibrations and the electrons, the nature of the anisotropy is locked into favoring easy plane magnetism.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2018

Voltage-induced suppression of weak localization in graphene

In this theoretical study, we explore the manner in which the quantum correction due to weak localization is suppressed in weakly-disordered graphene, when it is subjected to the application of a non-zero voltage. Using a nonequilibrium Green function approach, we address the scattering generated by the disorder up to the level of the maximally crossed diagrams, hereby capturing the interference among different, impurity-defined, Feynman paths. Our calculations of the charge current, and of the resulting differential conductance, reveal the logarithmic divergence typical of weak localization in linear transport. The main finding of our work is that the applied voltage suppresses the weak localization contribution in graphene, by introducing a dephasing time that decreases inversely with increasing voltage.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2018

Shot noise as a probe of spin-correlated transport through single atoms

We address the shot noise in the tunneling current through a localized spin, pertaining to recent experiments on magnetic adatoms and single molecular magnets. We show that both uncorrelated and spin-correlated scattering processes contribute vitally to the noise spectrum. The spin-correlated scattering processes provide an additional contribution to the Landauer-Büttiker shot noise expression, accounting for correlations between the tunneling electrons and the localized spin moment. By calculating the Fano factor, we show that both super- and sub-Poissonian shot noise can be described within our approach. Our theory provides transparent insights to noise spectroscopy, consistent with recent experiments using local probing techniques on magnetic atoms.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2018

Charge Transport and Entropy Production Rate in Magnetically Active Molecular Dimer

We consider charge and thermal transport properties of magnetically active paramagnetic molecular dimer. Generic properties for both transport quantities are reduced currents in the ferro- and anti-ferromagnetic regimes compared to the paramagnetic and efficient current blockade in the anti-ferromagnetic regime. In contrast, while the charge current is about an order of magnitude larger in the ferromagnetic regime, compared to the anti-ferromagnetic, the thermal current is efficiently blockaded there as well. This disparate behavior of the thermal current is attributed to current resonances in the ferromagnetic regime which counteract the thermal flow. The temperature difference strongly reduces the exchange interaction and tends to destroy the magnetic control of the transport properties. The weakened exchange interaction opens up a possibility to tune the system into thermal rectification, for both the charge and thermal currents.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2018

Microscopic Theory for Coupled Atomistic Magnetization and Lattice Dynamics

A coupled atomistic spin and lattice dynamics approach is developed which merges the dynamics of these two degrees of freedom into a single set of coupled equations of motion. The underlying microscopic model comprises local exchange interactions between the electron spin and magnetic moment and the local couplings between the electronic charge and lattice displacements. An effective action for the spin and lattice variables is constructed in which the interactions among the spin and lattice components are determined by the underlying electronic structure. In this way, expressions are obtained for the electronically mediated couplings between the spin and lattice degrees of freedom, besides the well known inter-atomic force constants and spin-spin interactions. These former susceptibilities provide an atomistic ab initio description for the coupled spin and lattice dynamics. It is important to notice that this theory is strictly bilinear in the spin and lattice variables and provides a minimal model for the coupled dynamics of these subsystems and that the two subsystems are treated on the same footing. Questions concerning time-reversal and inversion symmetry are rigorously addressed and it is shown how these aspects are absorbed in the tensor structure of the interaction fields. By means of these results regarding the spin-lattice coupling, simple explanations of ionic dimerization in double anti-ferromagnetic materials, as well as, charge density waves induced by a non-uniform spin structure are given. In the final parts, a set of coupled equations of motion for the combined spin and lattice dynamics are constructed, which subsequently can be reduced to a form which is analogous to the Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert equations for spin dynamics and damped driven mechanical oscillator for the ...

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2016

Time-dependent spin and transport properties of a single-molecule magnet in a tunnel junction

In single-molecule magnets, the exchange between a localized spin moment and the electronic background provides a suitable laboratory for studies of dynamical aspects of both local spin and transport properties. Here we address the time evolution of a localized spin moment coupled to an electronic level in a molecular quantum dot embedded in a tunnel junction between metallic leads. The interactions between the localized spin moment and the electronic level generate an effective interaction between the spin moment at different instances in time. Therefore, we show that, despite being a single-spin system, there are effective contributions of isotropic Heisenberg, and anisotropic Ising and Dzyaloshinski-Moriya character acting on the spin moment. The interactions can be controlled by gate voltage, voltage bias, the spin polarization in the leads, in addition to external magnetic fields. Signatures of the spin dynamics are found in the transport properties of the tunneling system, and we demonstrate that measurements of the spin current may be used for read-out of the local spin moment orientation.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2016

Magnon Dirac materials

We demonstrate how a Dirac-like magnon spectrum is generated for localized magnetic moments forming a two-dimensional honeycomb lattice. The Dirac crossing point is proven to be robust against magnon-magnon interactions, as these only shift the spectrum. Local defects induce impurity resonances near the Dirac point, as well as magnon Friedel oscillations. The energy of the Dirac point is controlled by the exchange coupling, and thus a two-dimensional array of magnetic dots is an experimentally feasible realization of Dirac magnons with tunable dispersion.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2016

Electron Paramagnetic Resonance of Single Magnetic Moment on a Surface

We address electron spin resonance of single magnetic moments in a tunnel junction using time-dependent electric fields and spin-polarized current. We show that the tunneling current directly depends on the local magnetic moment and that the frequency of the external electric field mixes with the characteristic Larmor frequency of the local spin. The importance of the spin-polarized current induced anisotropy fields acting on the local spin moment is, moreover, demonstrated. Our proposed model thus explains the absence of an electron spin resonance for a half integer spin, in contrast with the strong signal observed for an integer spin.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2016

Detecting weak coupling in mesoscopic systems with a nonequilibrium Fano resonance

A critical aspect of quantum mechanics is the nonlocal nature of the wavefunction, a characteristic that may yield unexpected coupling of nominally-isolated systems. The capacity to detect this coupling can be vital in many situations, especially those in which its strength is weak. In this work we address this problem in the context of mesoscopic physics, by implementing an electron-wave realization of a Fano interferometer using pairs of coupled quantum point contacts (QPCs). Within this scheme, the discrete level required for a Fano resonance is provided by pinching off one of the QPCs, thereby inducing the formation of a quasi-bound state at the center of its self-consistent potential barrier. Using this system, we demonstrate a form of \textit{nonequilibrium} Fano resonance (NEFR), in which nonlinear electrical biasing of the interferometer gives rise to pronounced distortions of its Fano resonance. Our experimental results are captured well by a quantitative theoretical model, which considers a system in which a standard two-path Fano interferometer is coupled to an additional, \textit{intruder}, continuum. According to this theory, the observed distortions in the Fano resonance arise \textit{only} in the presence of coupling to the intruder, indicating that the NEFR provides a sensitive means to infer the presence of weak coupling between mesoscopic systems.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2016

Covalent functionalization by cycloaddition reactions of pristine, defect-free graphene

Based on a low temperature scanning tunneling microscopy study, we present a direct visualization of a cycloaddition reaction performed for some specific fluorinated maleimide molecules deposited on graphene. These studies showed that the cycloaddition reactions can be carried out on the basal plane of graphene, even when there are no pre-existing defects. In the course of covalently grafting the molecules to graphene, the sp2 conjugation of carbon atoms was broken and local sp3 bonds were created. The grafted molecules perturbed the graphene lattice, generating a standing-wave pattern with an anisotropy which was attributed to a (1,2) cycloaddition, as revealed by T-matrix approximation calculations. DFT calculations showed that while both (1,4) and (1,2) cycloaddition were possible on free standing graphene, only the (1,2) cycloaddition could be obtained for graphene on SiC(0001). Globally averaging spectroscopic techniques, XPS and ARPES, were used to determine the modification in the elemental composition of the samples induced by the reaction, indicating an opening of an electronic gap in graphene.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2016

Voltage induced switching dynamics of a coupled spin pair in a molecular junction

Molecular spintronics is made possible by the coupling between electronic configuration and magnetic po- larization of the molecules. For control and application of the individual molecular states it is necessary to both read and write their spin states. Conventionally, this is achieved by means of external magnetic fields or ferromagnetic contacts, which may change the intentional spin state and may present additional challenges when downsizing devices. Here, we predict that coupling magnetic molecules together opens up possibilities for all electrical control of both the molecular spin states as well as the current flow through the system. Tuning between the regimes of ferromagnetic and anti-ferromagnetic exchange interaction, the current can be, at least, an order of magnitude enhanced or reduced. The effect is susceptible to the tunnel coupling and molecular level alignment which can be used to achieve current rectification.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2016

Granular Superconductor in a honeycomb lattice as a realization of Bosonic Dirac Material

We examine the low energy effective theory of phase oscillations in a two-dimensional granular superconducting sheet where the grains are arranged in honeycomb lattice structure. Using the example of graphene we present the evidence for the engineered Dirac nodes in the bosonic excitations: the spectra of the collective bosonic modes cross at the K and K points in the Brillouin zone and form Dirac nodes. We show how two different types of collective phase oscillations are obtained and that they are analogous to the Leggett and the Bogoliubov-Anderson-Gorkov modes in a two-band superconductor. We show that the Dirac node is preserved in the presence of an inter-grain interaction, despite induced changes of the qualitative features of the two collective modes. Finally, breaking the sublattice symmetry by choosing different on-site potentials for the two sublattices leads to a gap opening near the Dirac node, in analogy with Fermionic Dirac materials. Dirac node dispersion of bosonic excitations is thus expanding the discussion of the conventional Dirac cone excitations to the case of bosons. We call this case as a representative of Bosonic Dirac Materials (BDM), similar to the case of Fermionic Dirac materials extensively discussed in the literature.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2015

Electronic and Magnetic Properties of single Fe atoms on a CuN Surface; Effects of Electron Correlations

The electronic structure and magnetic properties of a single Fe adatom on a CuN surface have been studied using density functional theory in the local spin density approximation (LSDA), the LSDA+U approach and the local density approximation plus dynamical mean-field theory (LDA+DMFT). The impurity problem in LDA+DMFT is solved through exact diagonalization and in the Hubbard-I approximation. The comparison of the one-particle spectral functions obtained from LSDA, LSDA+U and LDA+DMFT show the importance of dynamical correlations for the electronic structure of this system. Most importantly, we focused on the magnetic anisotropy and found that neither LSDA, nor LSDA+U can explain the measured, high values of the axial and transverse anisotropy parameters. Instead, the spin excitation energies obtained from our LDA+DMFT approach with exact diagonalization agree significantly better with experimental data. This affirms the importance of treating fluctuating magnetic moments through a realistic many-body treatment when describing this class of nano-magnetic systems. Moreover, it facilitates insight to the role of the hybridization with surrounding orbitals.

cond-mat.str-el↗