Searcharxiv⌕ Search

arXiv subjects

M. Abolfath

Publications and source records attributed to M. Abolfath.

18 recordsLinked to original sources
arXiv2004

Optical spin transfer in ferromagnetic semiconductors

Circularly polarized laser pulses that excite electron-hole pairs across the band gap of (III,Mn)V ferromagnetic semiconductors can be used to manipulate and to study collective magnetization dynamics. The initial spin orientation of a photocarrier in a (III,V) semiconductors is determined by the polarization state of the laser. We show that the photocarrier spin can be irreversibly transferred to the collective magnetization, whose dynamics can consequently be flexibly controlled by suitably chosen laser pulses. As illustrations we demonstrate the feasibility of all optical ferromagnetic resonance and optical magnetization reorientation.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗
arXiv2003

Critical Currents of Ideal Quantum Hall Superfluids

Filling factor $ν=1$ bilayer electron systems in the quantum Hall regime have an excitonic-condensate superfluid ground state when the layer separation $d$ is less than a critical value $d_c$. On a quantum Hall plateau current injected and removed through one of the two layers drives a dissipationless edge current that carries parallel currents, and a dissipationless bulk supercurrent that carries opposing currents in the two layers. In this paper we discuss the theory of finite supercurrent bilayer states, both in the presence and in the absence of symmetry breaking inter-layer hybridization. Solutions to the microscopic mean-field equations exist at all condensate phase winding rates for zero and sufficiently weak hybridization strengths. We find, however, that collective instabilities occur when the supercurrent exceeds a critical value determined primarily by a competition between direct and exchange inter-layer Coulomb interactions. The critical current is estimated using a local stability criterion and varies as $(d_c-d)^{1/2}$ when $d$ approaches $d_c$ from below. For large inter-layer hybridization, we find that the critical current is limited by a soliton instability of microscopic origin.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗
arXiv2002

Theory of the tunneling resonances of the bilayer electron systems in strong magnetic field

We develop a theory for the anomalous interlayer conductance peaks observed in bilayer electron systems at nu=1. Our model shows the that the size of the peak at zero bias decreases rapidly with increasing in-plane magnetic field, but its location is unchanged. The I-V characteristic is linear at small voltages, in agreement with experimental observations. In addition we make quantitative predictions for how the inter-layer conductance peaks vary in position with in-plane magnetic field at high voltages. Finally, we predict novel bi-stable behavior at intermediate voltages.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗
arXiv2002

Boltzmann theory of engineered anisotropic magnetoresistance in (Ga,Mn)As

We report on a theoretical study of dc transport coefficients in (Ga,Mn)As diluted magnetic semiconductor ferromagnets that accounts for quasiparticle scattering from ionized Mn$^{2+}$ acceptors with a local moment $S=5/2$ and from non-magnetic compensating defects. In metallic samples Boltzmann transport theory with Golden rule scattering rates accounts for the principle trends of the measured difference between resistances for magnetizations parallel and perpendicular to the current. We predict that the sign and magnitude of the anisotropic magnetoresistance can be changed by strain engineering or by altering chemical composition.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗
arXiv2001

Solitons in polarized double layer quantum Hall systems

A new manifestation of interlayer coherence in strongly polarized double layer quantum Hall systems with total filling factor $ν=1$ in the presence of a small or zero tunneling is theoretically predicted. It is shown that moving (for small tunneling) and spatially localized (for zero tunneling) stable pseudospin solitons develop which could be interpreted as mobile or static charge-density excitations. The possibility of their experimental observation is also discussed.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗
arXiv2001

Global phase diagram of bilayer quantum Hall ferromagnets

We present a microscopic study of the interlayer spacing d versus in-plane magnetic field $B_\parallel$ phase diagram for bilayer quantum Hall (QH) pseudo-ferromagnets. In addition to the interlayer charge balanced commensurate and incommensurate states analyzed previously, we address the corresponding interlayer charge unbalanced "canted" QH states. We predict a large anomaly in the bilayer capacitance at the canting transition and the formation of dipole stripe domains with periods exceeding 1 micron in the canted state.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗
arXiv2001

Mean-field theory of magnetic properties of Mn$_x$III$_{1-x}$V semiconductors

We present a mean-field theory of carrier-induced ferromagnetism in Mn$_x$III$_{1-x}$V diluted magnetic semiconductors with a special emphasis placed on the magnetic anisotropy. The valence band holes are described using the six band Kohn-Luttinger model. We find that the magnetic anisotropy is a complicated function of sample parameters such as hole density or strain. Results of our numerical simulations are in agreement with magnetic anisotropy measurements on samples with both compressive and tensile strains.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗
arXiv2001

Superfluid-spiral state of quantum ferrimagnets in magnetic field

We study the phase diagram of one-dimensional quantum ferrimagnets by using a numerical exact diagonalization of a finite size system along with a field-theoretical non-linear $σ$ model of the quantum ferrimagnets at zero temperature and its effective description in the presence of the external magnetic field in terms of the quantum XY-model. The low- and the high-field phases correspond respectively to the classical Néel and the fully polarized ferromagnetic states where in the intermediate magnetic field ($h_{c1} < h < h_{c2}$), it is an XXZ+h model with easy plane anisotropy, which possess the spiral (superfluid) states that carry the dissipationless spin-supercurrent. We derive the critical exponents, and then will study the stability of the XY spiral state against these spin-supercurrents and the hard axis fluctuations. We will show a first order phase transition from the easy plane spiral state to a saturated ferromagnetic state occurs at $h=h_{c2}$ if the spin-supercurrent reaches to its critical value.

cond-mat↗
arXiv2000

Massive skyrmions in quantum Hall ferromagnets

We apply the theory of elasticity to study the effects of skyrmion mass on lattice dynamics in quantum Hall systems. We find that massive Skyrme lattices behave like a Wigner crystal in the presence of a uniform perpendicular magnetic field. We make a comparison with the microscopic Hartree-Fock results to characterize the mass of quantum Hall skyrmions at $ν=1$ and investigate how the low temperature phase of Skyrme lattices may be affected by the skyrmion mass.

cond-mat↗
arXiv2000

Theory of Magnetic Anisotropy in III_{1-x}Mn_{x}V Ferromagnets

We present a theory of magnetic anisotropy in ${\rm III}_{1-x}{\rm Mn}_{x}{\rm V}$ diluted magnetic semiconductors with carrier-induced ferromagnetism. The theory is based on four and six band envelope functions models for the valence band holes and a mean-field treatment of their exchange interactions with ${\rm Mn}^{++}$ ions. We find that easy-axis reorientations can occur as a function of temperature, carrier density $p$, and strain. The magnetic anisotropy in strain-free samples is predicted to have a $p^{5/3}$ hole-density dependence at small $p$, a $p^{-1}$ dependence at large $p$, and remarkably large values at intermediate densities. An explicit expression, valid at small $p$, is given for the uniaxial contribution to the magnetic anisotropy due to unrelaxed epitaxial growth lattice-matching strains. Results of our numerical simulations are in agreement with magnetic anisotropy measurements on samples with both compressive and tensile strains. We predict that decreasing the hole density in current samples will lower the ferromagnetic transition temperature, but will increase the magnetic anisotropy energy and the coercivity.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗
arXiv1999

Finite Temperature Behavior of the $ν=1$ Quantum Hall Effect in Bilayer Electron Systems

An effective field theoretic description of $ν=1$ bilayer electron systems stabilized by Coulomb repulsion in a single wide quantum well is examined using renormalization group techniques. The system is found to undergo a crossover from a low temperature strongly correlated quantum Hall state to a high temperature compressible state. This picture is used to account for the recent experimental observation of an anomalous transition in bilayer electron systems (T. S. Lay, {\em et al.} Phys. Rev. B {\bf 50}, 17725 (1994)). An estimate for the crossover temperature is provided, and it is shown that its dependence on electron density is in reasonable agreement with i the experiment.

cond-mat↗
arXiv1999

Phase diagram of ferrimagnetic ladders with bond-alternation

We study the phase diagram of a 2-leg bond-alternation spin-(1/2, 1) ladder for two different configurations using a quantum renormalization group approach. Although d-dimensional ferrimagnets show gapless behavior, we will explicitly show that the effect of the spin mixing and the bond-alternation can open the possibility for observing an energy gap. We show that the gapless phases of such systems can be equivalent to the 1-dimensional half-integer antiferroamgnets, besides the gapless ferrimagnetic phases. We therefore propose a phase transition between these two gapless phases that can be seen in the parameter space.

cond-mat↗
arXiv1999

Quantum Ferrimagnets

We study quantum ferrimagnets in one, two, and three dimensions by using a variety of methods and approximations. These include: (i) a treatment based on the spin coherent state path-integral formulation of quantum ferrimagnets by taking into account the leading order quantum and thermal fluctuations (ii) a field-theoretical (non-linear $σ$-model type) formulation of the special case of one-dimensional quantum ferrimagnets at zero temperature (iii) an effective description in terms of dimers and quantum rotors, and (iv) a quantum renormalization group study of ferrimagnetic Heisenberg chains. Some of the formalism discussed here can be used for a unified treatment of both ferromagnets and antiferromagnets in the semiclassical limit. We show that the low (high) energy effective Hamiltonian of a (S_1, S_2) Heisenberg ferrimagnet is a ferromagnetic (antiferromagnetic) Heisenberg model. We also study the phase diagram of quantum ferrimagnets in the presence of an external magnetic field h ($h_{c1} < h < h_{c2}$) and show that the low- and the high-field phases correspond respectively to the classical Néel and the fully polarized ferromagnetic states. We also calculate the transition temperature for the Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless phase transition in the special case of two-dimensional quantum ferrimagnets.

cond-mat↗
arXiv1998

Quantum fluctuations of classical skyrmions in quantum Hall Ferromagnets

In this article, we discuss the effect of the zero point quantum fluctuations to improve the results of the minimal field theory which has been applied to study %SMG the skyrmions in the quantum Hall systems. Our calculation which is based on the semiclassical treatment of the quantum fluctuations, shows that the one-loop quantum correction provides more accurate results for the minimal field theory.

cond-mat↗
arXiv1997

The field theory of Skyrme lattices in quantum Hall ferromagnets

We report the application of the nonlinear $σ$ model to study the multi-skyrmion problem in the quantum Hall ferromagnet system. We show that the ground state of the system can be described by a ferromagnet triangular Skyrme lattice near $ν=1$ where skyrmions are extremely dilute. We find a transition into antiferromagnet square lattice by increasing the skyrmion density and therefore $|ν-1|$. We investigate the possibility that the square Skyrme lattice deforms to a single skyrmion with the same topological charge when the Zeeman energy is extremely smaller than the Coulomb energy. We explicitly show that the energy of a skyrmion with charge two is less than the energy of two skyrmions each with charge one when $g \leq g_c$. By taking the quantum fluctuations into account, we also argue the possibility of the existence of a non-zero temperature Kosterlitz-Thouless and a superconductor-insulator phase transition.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗
arXiv1997

A critical comparison of classical field theory and microscopic wavefunctions for skyrmions in quantum Hall ferromagnets

We report on a study of the classical field theory description of charged skyrmions in quantum Hall ferromagnets. The appropriate field theory is a non-linear $σ$ model generalized to include Coulomb and Zeeman interaction terms. We have tested the range of validity of the classical field theory by comparing with microscopic descriptions of the single skyrmion state based on the Hartree-Fock approximation, exact diagonalization calculations, and many-body trial wavefunctions. We find that the field theory description is accurate for skyrmions with moderate spin quantum numbers ($\gtrsim 10$) although, as expected, it fails qualitatively for small spin quantum numbers.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗
arXiv1996

Quantum Hall effect in single wide quantum wells

We study the quantum Hall states in the lowest Landau level for a single wide quantum well. Due to a separation of charges to opposite sides of the well, a single wide well can be modelled as an effective two level system. We provide numerical evidence of the existence of a phase transition from an incompressible to a compressible state as the electron density is increased for specific well width. Our numerical results show a critical electron density which depends on well width, beyond which a transition incompressible double layer quantum Hall state to a mono-layer compressible state occurs. We also calculate the related phase boundary corresponding to destruction of the collective mode energy gap. We show that the effective tunneling term and the interlayer separation are both renormalised by the strong magnetic field. We also exploite the local density functional techniques in the presence of strong magnetic field at $ν=1$ to calculate renormalized $Δ_{SAS}$. The numerical results shows good agreement between many-body calculations and local density functional techniques in the presence of a strong magnetic field at $ν=1$. we also discuss implications of this work on the $ν=1/2$ incompressible state observed in SWQW.

cond-mat↗