arXiv subjects

S. D. Bader

Publications and source records attributed to S. D. Bader.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2018

Ultrasensitive Detection Enabled by Nonlinear Magnetization of Nanomagnetic Labels

Geometrically confined magnetic particles due to their unique response to external magnetic fields find a variety of applications, including magnetic guidance, heat and drug delivery, magneto-mechanical actuation, and contrast enhancement. Highly sensitive detection and imaging techniques based on nonlinear properties of nanomagnets were recently proposed as innovative strong-translational potential methods applicable in complex, often opaque, biological systems. Here we report on significant enhancement of the detection capability using optical-lithography-defined, ferromagnetic iron-nickel alloy disk-shaped particles. We show that an irreversible transition between a strongly non-collinear (vortex) and single domain states, driven by an alternating magnetic field translates into a nonlinear magnetic response that enables ultrasensitive detection of these particles. The record sensitivity of ~ 3.5x10-9 emu, which is equivalent to ~39 pg of magnetic material is demonstrated at room temperature for arrays of patterned disks. We also show that unbound disks re-suspended in aqueous buffer can be successfully detected and quantified in real-time when administrated into a live animal allowing for tracing their biodistribution. Use of nanoscale ferromagnetic particles with engineered nonlinear properties opens prospects for further enhancing sensitivity, scalability and tunability of noise-free magnetic tag detection in high-background environments for various applications spanning from biosensing and medical imaging to anti-counterfeiting technologies.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2013

A Universal Method for Separating Spin Pumping from Spin Rectification Voltage of Ferromagnetic Resonance

We develop a method for universally resolving the important issue of separating spin pumping (SP) from spin rectification (SR) signals in bilayer spintronics devices. This method is based on the characteristic distinction of SP and SR, as revealed in their different angular and field symmetries. It applies generally for analyzing charge voltages in bilayers induced by the ferromagnetic resonance (FMR), independent of FMR line shape. Hence, it solves the outstanding problem that device specific microwave properties restrict the universal quantification of the spin Hall angle in bilayer devices via FMR experiments. Furthermore, it paves the way for directly measuring the nonlinear evolution of spin current generated by spin pumping. The spin Hall angle in a Py/Pt bilayer is thereby directly measured as 0.021$\pm$0.015 up to a large precession cone angle of about 20$^{\circ}$.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2013

Unanticipated proximity behavior in ferromagnet-superconductor heterostructures with controlled magnetic noncollinearity

Magnetization noncollinearity in ferromagnet-superconductor (F/S) heterostructures is expected to enhance the superconducting transition temperature (Tc) according to the domain-wall superconductivity theory, or to suppress Tc when spin-triplet Cooper pairs are explicitly considered. We study the proximity effect in F/S structures where the F layer is a Sm-Co/Py exchange-spring bilayer and the S layer is Nb. The exchange-spring contains a single, controllable and quantifiable domain wall in the Py layer. We observe an enhancement of superconductivity that is nonmonotonic as the Py domain wall is increasingly twisted via rotating a magnetic field, different from theoretical predictions. We have excluded magnetic fields and vortex motion as the source of the nonmonotonic behavior. This unanticipated proximity behavior suggests that new physics is yet to be captured in the theoretical treatments of F/S systems containing noncollinear magnetization.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2012

Electronically Guided Self Assembly within Quantum Corrals

A grand challenge of nanoscience is to master the control of structure and properties in order to go beyond present day functionality. The creation of nanostructures via atom manipulation by means of a scanning probe represents one of the great achievements of the nano era. Here we build on this achievement to self-assemble nanostructures within quantum corrals. The structuring is guided by the quantum confinement of the electronic density of a silver metallic substrate within the corrals. We experimentally demonstrate different self-organized Gd atomic structures confined within 30-nm circular and triangular Fe quantum corrals. This approach enables the creation of model systems to explore and understand new nanomaterials and device prototypes.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2012

Evidence of Vortex Jamming in Abrikosov Vortex Flux Flow Regime

We report on dynamics of non-local Abrikosov vortex flow in mesoscopic superconducting Nb channels. Magnetic field dependence of the non-local voltage induced by the flux flow shows that vortices form ordered vortex chains. Voltage asymmetry (rectification) with respect to the direction of vortex flow is evidence that vortex jamming strongly moderates vortex dynamics in mesoscopic geometries. The findings can be applied to superconducting devices exploiting vortex dynamics and vortex manipulation, including superconducting wires with engineered pinning centers.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2010

Magnetic Structure in Fe/Sm-Co Exchange Spring Bilayers with Intermixed Interfaces

The depth profile of the intrinsic magnetic properties in an Fe/Sm-Co bilayer fabricated under nearly optimal spring-magnet conditions was determined by complementary studies of polarized neutron reflectometry and micromagnetic simulations. We found that at the Fe/Sm-Co interface the magnetic properties change gradually at the length scale of 8 nm. In this intermixed interfacial region, the saturation magnetization and magnetic anisotropy are lower and the exchange stiffness is higher than values estimated from the model based on a mixture of Fe and Sm-Co phases. Therefore, the intermixed interface yields superior exchange coupling between the Fe and Sm-Co layers, but at the cost of average magnetization.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2010

Cation-ordering effects in the single layered manganite La(2/3)Sr(4/3)MnO4

We have synthesized epitaxial La(1-x)Sr(1+x)MnO4 (x=1/3) films as random alloys and cation-ordered analogues to probe how cation order affects the properties of a 2D manganite. The films show weak ferromagnetic ordering up to 130 K, although there is a dramatic difference in magnetic anisotropy depending on the cation order. While all films exhibit similar gapped insulator behavior above 130 K, there is a significant difference in the low temperature transport mechanism depending on the cation order. Differences in magnetic anisotropy and low temperature transport are consistent with differences in Mn 3d orbital occupancies. Together this work suggests that cation ordering can significantly alter the Mn 3d orbital ground state in these correlated electron systems.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2010

Detection and quantification of inverse spin Hall effect from spin pumping in permalloy/normal metal bilayers

Spin pumping is a mechanism that generates spin currents from ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) over macroscopic interfacial areas, thereby enabling sensitive detection of the inverse spin Hall effect that transforms spin into charge currents in non-magnetic conductors. Here we study the spin-pumping-induced voltages due to the inverse spin Hall effect in permalloy/normal metal bilayers integrated into coplanar waveguides for different normal metals and as a function of angle of the applied magnetic field direction, as well as microwave frequency and power. We find good agreement between experimental data and a theoretical model that includes contributions from anisotropic magnetoresistance (AMR) and inverse spin Hall effect (ISHE). The analysis provides consistent results over a wide range of experimental conditions as long as the precise magnetization trajectory is taken into account. The spin Hall angles for Pt, Pd, Au and Mo were determined with high precision to be $0.013\pm0.002$, $0.0064\pm0.001$, $0.0035\pm0.0003$ and $-0.0005\pm0.0001$, respectively.

cond-mat.other↗

arXiv2010

Surface spin flip probability of mesoscopic Ag wires

Spin relaxation in mesoscopic Ag wires in the diffusive transport regime is studied via nonlocal spin valve and Hanle effect measurements performed on permalloy/Ag lateral spin valves. The ratio between momentum and spin relaxation times is not constant at low temperatures. This can be explained with the Elliott-Yafet spin relaxation mechanism by considering the momentum surface relaxation time as being temperature dependent. We present a model to separately determine spin flip probabilities for phonon, impurity and surface scattering and find that the spin flip probability is highest for surface scattering.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2010

Quantifying spin Hall angles from spin pumping: Experiments and Theory

Spin Hall effects intermix spin and charge currents even in nonmagnetic materials and, therefore, ultimately may allow the use of spin transport without the need for ferromagnets. We show how spin Hall effects can be quantified by integrating permalloy/normal metal (N) bilayers into a coplanar waveguide. A dc spin current in N can be generated by spin pumping in a controllable way by ferromagnetic resonance. The transverse dc voltage detected along the permalloy/N has contributions from both the anisotropic magnetoresistance (AMR) and the spin Hall effect, which can be distinguished by their symmetries. We developed a theory that accounts for both. In this way, we determine the spin Hall angle quantitatively for Pt, Au and Mo. This approach can readily be adapted to any conducting material with even very small spin Hall angles.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2009

Suppression of spin-pumping by a MgO tunnel-barrier

Spin-pumping generates pure spin currents in normal metals at the ferromagnet (F)/normal metal (N) interface. The efficiency of spin-pumping is given by the spin mixing conductance, which depends on N and the F/N interface. We directly study the spin-pumping through an MgO tunnel-barrier using the inverse spin Hall effect, which couples spin and charge currents and provides a direct electrical detection of spin currents in the normal metal. We find that spin-pumping is suppressed by the tunnel-barrier, which is contrary to recent studies that suggest that the spin mixing conductance can be enhanced by a tunnel-barrier inserted at the interface.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2009

Temperature dependent nucleation and annihilation of individual magnetic vortices

We studied the temperature dependence of the magnetization reversal in individual submicron permalloy disks with micro-Hall and bend-resistance magnetometry. The nucleation field exhibits a nonmonotonic dependence with positive and negative slopes at low and high temperatures, respectively, while the annihilation field monotonically decreases with increasing temperature, but with distinctly different slopes at low and high temperatures. Our analysis suggests that at low temperatures vortex nucleation and annihilation proceeds via thermal activation over an energy barrier, while at high temperatures they are governed by a temperature dependence of the saturation magnetization.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2009

Imaging of lateral spin valves with soft X-ray microscopy

We investigated Co/Cu lateral spin valves by means of high-resolution transmission soft x-ray microscopy with magnetic contrast that utilizes x-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD). No magnetic XMCD contrast was observed at the Cu L$_3$ absorption edge, which should directly image the spin accumulation in Cu. Although electrical transport measurements in a non-local geometry clearly detected the spin accumulation in Cu, which remained unchanged during illumination with circular polarized x-rays at the Co and Cu L$_3$ absorption edges.

cond-mat.other↗

arXiv2009

Negative nonlocal resistance in mesoscopic gold Hall bars: Absence of giant spin Hall effect

We report the observation of negative nonlocal resistances in multiterminal mesoscopic gold Hall bar structures whose characteristic dimensions are larger than the electron mean-free path. Our results can only be partially explained by a classical diffusive model of the nonlocal transport, and are not consistent with a recently proposed model based on spin Hall effects. Instead, our analysis suggests that a quasiballistic transport mechanism is responsible for the observed negative nonlocal resistance. Based on the sensitivity of our measurements and the spin Hall effect model, we find an upper limit for the spin Hall angle in gold of 0.022 at 4.5 K.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2008

Magnetically asymmetric interfaces in a (LaMnO$_3$)/(SrMnO$_3$) superlattice due to structural asymmetries

Polarized neutron reflectivity measurements of a ferromagnetic [(LaMnO$_3$)$_{11.8}$/(SrMnO$_3$)$_{4.4}$]$_6$ superlattice reveal a modulated magnetic structure with an enhanced magnetization at the interfaces where LaMnO$_3$ was deposited on SrMnO$_3$ (LMO/SMO). However, the opposite interfaces (SMO/LMO) are found to have a reduced ferromagnetic moment. The magnetic asymmetry arises from the difference in lateral structural roughness of the two interfaces observed via electron microscopy, with strong ferromagnetism present at the interfaces that are atomically smooth over tens of nanometers. This result demonstrates that atomic-scale roughness can destabilize interfacial phases in complex oxide heterostructures.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2007

The metal-insulator transition and its relation to magnetic structure in (LaMnO3)2n/(SrMnO3)n superlattices

Superlattices of (LaMnO3)2n/(SrMnO3)n (n=1 to 5), composed of the insulators LaMnO3 and SrMnO3, undergo a metal-insulator transition as a function of n, being metallic for n<=2 and insulating for n>=3. Measurements of transport, magnetization and polarized neutron reflectivity reveal that the ferromagnetism is relatively uniform in the metallic state, and is strongly modulated in the insulating state, being high in LaMnO3 and suppressed in SrMnO3. The modulation is consistent with a Mott transition driven by the proximity between the (LaMnO3)/(SrMnO3) interfaces. Disorder localizes states at the Fermi level at the interfaces for n>=3. We suggest that this disorder is due to magnetic frustration at the interfaces.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2007

Viscous spin exchange torque on precessional magnetization in $(\mathrm{LaMnO}_3)_{2n}/(\mathrm{SrMnO}_3)_{n}$ superlattices

Photoinduced magnetization dynamics is investigated in chemically ordered $(\mathrm{LaMnO}_3)_{2n}/(\mathrm{SrMnO}_3)_n$ superlattices using the time-resolved magneto-optic Kerr effect. A monotonic frequency-field dependence is observed for the $n=1$ superlattice, indicating a single spin population consistent with a homogeneous hole distribution. In contrast, for $n\geq2$ superlattices, a large precession frequency is observed at low fields indicating the presence of an exchange torque in the dynamic regime. We propose a model that ascribes the emergence of exchange torque to the coupling between two spin populations -- viscous and fast spins.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2007

Surface spin-flop transition in a uniaxial antiferromagnetic Fe/Cr superlattice induced by a magnetic field of arbitrary direction

We studied the transition between the antiferromagnetic and the surface spin-flop phases of a uniaxial antiferromagnetic [Fe(14 Å)/Cr(11 Å]$_{\rm x20}$ superlattice. For external fields applied parallel to the in-plane easy axis, the layer-by-layer configuration, calculated in the framework of a mean-field one-dimensional model, was benchmarked against published polarized neutron reflectivity data. For an in-plane field $H$ applied at an angle $ψ\ne 0$ with the easy axis, magnetometry shows that the magnetization $M$ vanishes at H=0, then increases slowly with increasing $H$. At a critical value of $H$, a finite jump in $M(H)$ is observed for $ψ<5^{\rm o}$, while a smooth increase of $M$ $vs$ $H$ is found for $ψ>5^{\rm o}$. A dramatic increase in the full width at half maximum of the magnetic susceptibility is observed for $ψ\ge 5^{\rm o}$. The phase diagram obtained from micromagnetic calculations displays a first-order transition to a surface spin-flop phase for low $ψ$ values, while the transition becomes continuous for $ψ$ greater than a critical angle, $ψ_{\rm max} \approx 4.75^{\rm o}$. This is in fair agreement with the experimentally observed results.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗