arXiv subjects

P. F. Bessarab

Publications and source records attributed to P. F. Bessarab.

11 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2024

All-optical control of skyrmion configuration in CrI$_3$ monolayer

The potential for manipulating characteristics of skyrmions in a CrI$_3$ monolayer using circularly polarised light is explored. The effective skyrmion-light interaction is mediated by bright excitons whose magnetization is selectively influenced by the polarization of photons. The light-induced skyrmion dynamics is illustrated by the dependencies of the skyrmion size and the skyrmion lifetime on the intensity and polarization of the incident light pulse. Two-dimensional magnets hosting excitons thus represent a promising platform for the control of topological magnetic structures by light.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2023

All-optical magnetization control in CrI$_3$ monolayers: a microscopic theory

Bright excitons in ferromagnetic monolayers CrI$_3$ efficiently interact with lattice magnetization, which makes possible all-optical resonant magnetization control in this material. Using the combination of ab-initio simulations within Bethe-Salpeter approach, semiconductor Bloch equations and Landau-Lifshitz equations, we construct a microscopic theory of this effect. Solving numerically the resulting system of the coupled equations describing the dynamics of atomic spins and spins of the excitons, we demonstrate the possibility of a tunable control of macroscopic magnetization of a sample.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2022

Interaction of excitons with magnetic topological defects in 2D magnetic monolayers: localization and anomalous Hall effect

Novel 2D material CrI3 reveals unique combination of 2D ferromagnetism and robust excitonic response. We demonstrate that the possibility of the formation of magnetic topological defects, such as Neel skyrmions, together with large excitonic Zeeman splitting, leads to giant scattering asymmetry, which is the necessary prerequisite for the excitonic anomalous Hall effect. In addition, the diamagnetic effect breaks the inversion symmetry, and in certain cases can result in exciton localization on the skyrmion. This enables the formation of magnetoexcitonic quantum dots with tunable parameters.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2020

Optimal control of magnetization reversal in a monodomain particle by means of applied magnetic field

A complete analytical solution to the optimal reversal of a macrospin with easy-axis anisotropy is presented. Optimal control path minimizing the energy cost of the reversal is identified and used to derive time-dependent direction and amplitude of the optimal switching field. The minimum energy cost of the reversal scales inversely with the switching time for fast switching, follows an exponential asymptotics for slow switching and reaches the lower limit proportional to the energy barrier between the target states and to the damping parameter at infinitely long switching time. For a given switching time, the energy cost is never smaller than that for a free macrospin. This limitation can be bypassed by adding a hard anisotropy axis which activates the internal torque in the desired switching direction, thereby significantly reducing the energy cost. Comparison between the calculated optimal control path and minimum energy path reveals that optimal control does not translate to the minimization of the energy barrier, but signifies effective use of the system's internal dynamics to aid the desired magnetic transition.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2019

Stability and lifetime of antiferromagnetic skyrmions

The two-dimensional Heisenberg exchange model with out-of-plane anisotropy and a Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction is employed to investigate the lifetime and stability of antiferromagnetic (AFM) skyrmions as a function of temperature and external magnetic field. An isolated AFM skyrmion is metastable at zero temperature in a certain parameter range set by two boundaries separating the skyrmion state from the uniform AFM phase and a stripe domain phase. The distribution of the energy barriers for the AFM skyrmion decay into the uniform AFM state complements the zero-temperature stability diagram and demonstrates that the skyrmion stability region is significantly narrowed at finite temperatures.We show that the AFM skyrmion stability can be enhanced by an application of magnetic field, whose strength is comparable to the spin-flop field. This stabilization of AFM skyrmions in external magnetic fields is in sharp contrast to the behavior of their ferromagnetic counterparts. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the AFM skyrmions are stable on timescales of milliseconds below 50 K for realistic material parameters, making it feasible to observe them in modern experiments.

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↗

arXiv2017

Lifetime of racetrack skyrmions

The skyrmion racetrack is a promising concept for future information technology. There, binary bits are carried by nanoscale spin swirls -- skyrmions -- driven along magnetic strips. Stability of the skyrmions is a critical issue for the realization of this technology. Here we demonstrate that the racetrack skyrmion lifetime can be calculated from first principles as a function of temperature, magnetic field and track width. Our method combines harmonic transition state theory extended to include Goldstone modes, with an atomistic spin Hamiltonian parametrized from density functional theory calculations. We demonstrate that two annihilation mechanisms contribute to the skyrmion stability: At low external magnetic field, escape through the track boundary prevails, but a crossover field exists, above which the collapse in the interior becomes dominant. Considering a Pd/Fe bilayer on an Ir(111) substrate as a well-established model system, the calculated lifetime is found to be consistent with reported experimental measurements. Our results open the door for predictive simulations, free from empirical parameters, to aid the design of skyrmion-based information technology.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2017

Theory of non-collinear interactions beyond Heisenberg exchange; applications to bcc Fe

We show for a simple non-collinear configuration of the atomistic spins (in particular, where one spin is rotated by a finite angle in a ferromagnetic background) that the pairwise energy variation computed in terms of multiple scattering formalism cannot be fully mapped onto a bilinear Heisen- berg spin model even in the lack of spin-orbit coupling. The non-Heisenberg terms induced by the spin-polarized host appear in leading orders in the expansion of the infinitesimal angle variations. However, an Eg-T2g symmetry analysis based on the orbital decomposition of the exchange param- eters in bcc Fe leads to the conclusion that the nearest neighbor exchange parameters related to the T2g orbitals are essentially Heisenberg-like: they do not depend on the spin configuration, and can in this case be mapped onto a Heisenberg spin model even in extreme non-collinear cases.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2017

Enhanced skyrmion stability due to exchange frustration

Skyrmions are localized, topologically non-trivial spin structures which have raised high hopes for future spintronic applications. A key issue is skyrmion stability with respect to annihilation into the ferromagnetic state. Energy barriers for this collapse have been calculated taking only nearest neighbor exchange interactions into account. Here, we demonstrate that exchange interactions beyond nearest neighbors can be essential to describe stability of skyrmionic spin structures. We focus on the prototypical film system Pd/Fe/Ir(111) and demonstrate that an effective nearest-neighbor exchange or micromagnetic model can only account for equilibrium properties such as the skyrmion profile or the zero temperature phase diagram. However, energy barriers and critical fields of skyrmion collapse as well as skyrmion lifetimes are drastically underestimated since the energy of the transition state cannot be accurately described. Antiskyrmions are not even metastable. Our work shows that frustration of exchange interactions is a route towards enhanced skyrmion stability even in systems with a ferromagnetic ground state.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2015

Qualitative Insight and Quantitative Analysis of the Effect of Temperature on the Coercivity of a Magnetic System

The temperature dependence of the response of a magnetic system to an applied field can be understood qualitatively by considering variations in the energy surface characterizing the system and estimated quantitatively with rate theory. In the system analysed here, Fe/Sm-Co spring magnet, the width of the hysteresis loop is reduced to a half when temperature is raised from 25~K to 300~K. This narrowing can be explained and reproduced quantitatively without invoking temperature dependence of model parameters as has typically been done in previous data analysis. The applied magnetic field lowers the energy barrier for reorientation of the magnetization but thermal activation brings the system over the barrier. A 2-dimensional representation of the energy surface is developed and used to gain insight into the transition mechanism and to demonstrate how the applied field alters the transition path. Our results show the importance of explicitly including the effect of thermal activation when interpreting experiments involving the manipulation of magnetic systems at finite temperature.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2015

Energy surface and minimum energy paths for Fréedericksz transitions in bistable cholesteric liquid crystals

The multidimensional energy surface of a cholesteric liquid crystal in a planar cell is investigated as a function of spherical coordinates determining the director orientation. Minima on the energy surface correspond to the stable states with particular director distribution. External electric and magnetic fields deform the energy surface and positions of minima. It can lead to the transitions between states, known as the Fréedericksz effect. Transitions can be continuous or discontinuous depending on parameters of the liquid crystal which determine an energy surface. In a case of discontinuous transition when a barrier between stable states is comparable with the thermal energy, the activation transitions may occur and it leads to the modification of characteristics of the Fréedericksz effect with temperature without explicit temperature dependencies of liquid crystal parameters. Minimum energy path between stable states on the energy surface for the Fréedericksz transition is found using geodesic nudged elastic band method. Knowledge of this path, which has maximal statistical weight among all other paths, gives the information about a barrier between stable states and configuration of director orientation during the transition. It also allows one to estimate the stability of states with respect to the thermal fluctuations and their lifetime when the system is close to the Fréedericksz transition.

cond-mat.soft↗