arXiv subjects

Suchetana Mukhopadhyay

Publications and source records attributed to Suchetana Mukhopadhyay.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Tunnel-Barrier-Engineered Ultrafast Demagnetization and Spin Transport in Graphene-Based Heterostructures

Heterostructures combining graphene with 3d transition metal ferromagnets (FMs) enable various spin-based phenomena at ultrafast timescales. However, challenges such as the interfacial impedance mismatch, FM deposition-induced defect generation, and interface modification by interfacial coupling or hybridization can impede their functionalization for spin-orbitronics. In this work, we utilize insulating TiOx barrier layers (BLs) to modify the interfacial spin conductance structurally, disentangle spin pumping and magnetic proximity effects (MPE), and establish external control over ultrafast magnetization dynamics in single-layer graphene/TiOx/Co systems. All-optical time-resolved magneto-optical Kerr effect measurements of femtosecond to nanosecond spin dynamics reveal systematic tunability of ultrafast magnetic parameters via barrier engineering. The thickness-dependent damping modulation in Co indicates strong spin pumping, with interfacial spin transparency close to half its physical limit in the presence of an ultrathin BL, where MPE is eliminated. Our results show that appropriately chosen ultrathin BLs can prevent interfacial alterations from ferromagnetic metals, facilitating efficient spin detection in graphene and enhancing control over spin angular momentum dissipation in graphene/FM interfaces.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2025

Spin Pumping in Magnetostrictive Galfenol Interfaced with Ta

In view of their advantages for memory and storage applications, the quest to find suitable magnetic thin film heterostructures that can exhibit strong spin pumping effect persists in the scientific community. Here, the spin pumping phenomenon is investigated in Ta/Galfenol (FeGa) thin film heterostructures by systematically varying the thickness of the heavy metallic Ta underlayer (UL). The films exhibit soft magnetic property with a bcc-phase with a notably low Gilbert damping obtained for FeGa on Si (100). The precessional magnetization dynamics of Ta/FeGa films are explored using time-resolved magneto-optical Kerr effect magnetometry, revealing the presence of a resonant Kittel mode and additional strain-induced modes. The lowest value of effective Gilbert damping in Ta/FeGa is obtained as ~ 0.015, which rises by ~ 65 % as the thickness of UL increases. Spin pumping and two-magnon scattering mechanisms are validated using a ballistic spin transport model. An overall effective spin mixing conductance value of ~ 5.48 $\times$ 10$^{15}$ cm$^{-2}$ is found, which is the highest value ever reported in magnetostrictive Galfenol films. Additionally, micromagnetic simulations are performed to understand the effect of tilted magnetic anisotropy on the formation of magnetic modes in these films. These findings in FeGa films establish it as an effective spin source material and offer innovative ideas to control spin-wave propagation and diverse applications in straintronics.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2023

Investigation of Ultrafast Demagnetization and Gilbert Damping and their Correlation in Different Ferromagnetic Thin Films Grown Under Identical Conditions

Following the demonstration of laser-induced ultrafast demagnetization in ferromagnetic nickel, several theoretical and phenomenological propositions have sought to uncover its underlying physics. In this work we revisit the three temperature model (3TM) and the microscopic three temperature model (M3TM) to perform a comparative analysis of ultrafast demagnetization in 20-nm-thick cobalt, nickel and permalloy thin films measured using an all-optical pump-probe technique. In addition to the ultrafast dynamics at the femtosecond timescales, the nanosecond magnetization precession and damping are recorded at various pump excitation fluences revealing a fluence-dependent enhancement in both the demagnetization times and the damping factors. We confirm that the Curie temperature to magnetic moment ratio of a given system acts as a figure of merit for the demagnetization time, while the demagnetization times and damping factors show an apparent sensitivity to the density of states at the Fermi level for a given system. Further, from numerical simulations of the ultrafast demagnetization based on both the 3TM and the M3TM, we extract the reservoir coupling parameters that best reproduce the experimental data and estimate the value of the spin flip scattering probability for each system. We discuss how the fluence-dependence of inter-reservoir coupling parameters so extracted may reflect a role played by nonthermal electrons in the magnetization dynamics at low laser fluences.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2019

Persistent quantum walks: dynamic phases and diverging timescales

A discrete time quantum walk is considered in which the step lengths are chosen to be either $1$ or $2$ with the additional feature that the walker is persistent with a probability $p$. This implies that with probability $p$, the walker repeats the step length taken in the previous step and is otherwise antipersistent. We estimate the probability $P(x,t)$ that the walker is at $x$ at time $t$ and the first two moments. Asymptotically, $\langle x^2 \rangle = t^ν$ for all $p$. For the extreme limits $p=0$ and $1$, the walk is known to show ballistic behaviour, i.e., $ν= 2$. As $p$ is varied from zero to 1, the system is found in four different phases characterised by the value of $ν$: $ν=2$ at $p=0$, $1 \leq ν\leq 3/2$ for $0 < p < p_c$, $ν= 3/2$ for $ p_c < p <1$ and $ν= 2$ again at $p=1$. $p_c$ is found to be very close to $1/3$ numerically. Close to $p=0,1$, the scaling behaviour shows a crossover in time. Associated with this crossover, two diverging timescales varying as $1/p$ and $1/(1-p)$ close to $p=0$ and $p=1$ respectively are detected. Using a different scheme in which the antipersistence behaviour is suppressed, one gets $ν= 3/2$ for the entire region $0 < p< 1$. Further, a measure of the entropy of entanglement is studied for both the schemes.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2017

Why enveloped viruses need cores -- the contribution of a nucleocapsid core to viral budding

During the alphavirus lifecycle, a nucleocapsid core buds through the cell membrane to acquire an outer envelope of lipid membrane and viral glycoproteins. However, the presence of a nucleocapsid core is not required for assembly of infectious particles. To determine the role of the nucleocapsid core, we develop a coarse-grained computational model with which we investigate budding dynamics as a function of glycoprotein and nucleocapsid interactions, as well as budding in the absence of a nucleocapsid. We find that there is a transition between glycoprotein-directed budding and nucleocapsid-directed budding which occurs above a threshold strength of nucleocapsid interactions. The simulations predict that glycoprotein-directed budding leads to significantly increased size polydispersity and particle polymorphism. This polydispersity can be qualitatively explained by a theoretical model accounting for the competition between bending energy of the membrane and the glycoprotein shell. The simulations also show that the geometry of a budding particle leads to a barrier to subunit diffusion, which can result in a stalled, partially budded state. We present a phase diagram for this and other morphologies of budded particles. Comparison of these structures against experiments could establish bounds on whether budding is directed by glycoprotein or nucleocapsid interactions. Although our model is motivated by alphaviruses, we discuss implications of our results for other enveloped viruses.

physics.bio-ph↗