Physics Commons^™

Understanding The Magnetic Properties Of Ii-Vi Semiconductor Nanocrystals, Alex Khammang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Semiconductor nanocrystals (NC) are well known for their unique size tunable optical properties making them suitable candidates for devices such as light emitting diodes (LEDs), solar cells, and cellular labels. II-VI semiconductors in the bulk form behave diamagnetically, but can inherit paramagnetic (PM) or ferromagnetic (FM) properties at the nanoscale. Reports suggest that the emergence of weak PM or FM behavior in undoped NCs are attributed to the increased surface to volume ratio compared for NCs. Traditionally, these NCs only obtain magnetic properties after doping with certain transition metals, such as Co, Mn, or Fe. Many mechanisms have been proposed ...

What Can Scattered Light Tell You About Your Favorite Magnetic Material?: A Magneto Optical Investigation Of The Magnetic Properties Of Aligned Janus Fiber Agglomerates.Influence Of Dynamic Multiaxial Transverse Loading On Ultrahigh Molecular Weight Polyethylene Single Fiber Failure, Cory John Dolbashian

Theses and Dissertations

Here we seek to take a traditional Magneto Optic Kerr Effect (MOKE) experimental design, useful for local magnetization measurements, and apply it to measuring aligned multiferroic Janus nano fiber agglomerates. In order to achieve this we modify the traditional MOKE geometry by measuring our Kerr rotation from collimated scattered light, rather than the conventional specular reflection. Using various techniques to improve signal to noise ratio (SNR), we extend the application of this scattered MOKE geometry to build families of First Order Reversal Curves (FORC). Using an alternative analysis technique, FORC curves are processed and become a FORC diagram, which is ...

Experimental And Computational Exploration Of The Dilute Magnetic Delafossite Cual1-Xfexo2 Alloys, Mina Aziziha

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

CuAlO₂ is among several ternary delafossites, which is a rare p-type semiconductor with potential applications as a transparent conductive oxide, photocatalyst, and spintronics when doped with transition metal ions. Reported in this thesis are results from our investigations of CuAl_1-xFe_xO₂ (x = 0 to1) with a focus on the x-dependence of structural, magnetic, vibrational, optical properties, and the role of defects and impurities. Samples are prepared by solid-state reactions.

We performed a complete study of magnetic properties to investigate the possibility of room temperature ferromagnetic alloys, which are used in transparent ferromagnet ...

Development Of Software Tools And Experimental In Situ Electron Spin Resonance For Characterizing The Magnetic And Electrocatalytic Properties Of Transition Metal Chalcogenide Crystals, Jose Armando Delgado

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Studying the magnetic properties and crystal defects of transition metal chalcogenide crystals is of paramount importance for utilizing them for next generation spintronics devices and hydrogen evolution reaction catalysts. Hydrothermally grown transition metal chalcogenide nanocrystals (MoS2, Ru2S3, Rh2S3, Co2S8) were chosen as catalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction due to their low dimensionality and previous utilization as catalysts for hydrodesulfurization. The relationship between crystal defect sites and catalytic activity must be discerned to maximize the efficiency of hydrogen production during the hydrogen evolution reaction. ESR spectroscopy was utilized as a spin sensitive technique to study the defects and local changes ...

Unconventional Josephson Junctions With Topological Kondo Insulator Weak Links, Xuecheng Ye, Jacob Cook, Erik D. Huemiller, Aaron D. K. Finck, P. K. Ghaemi, Thomas Vojta, For Full List Of Authors, See Publisher's Website.

Physics Faculty Research & Creative Works

Proximity-induced superconductivity in three-dimensional (3D) topological insulators forms a new quantum phase of matter and accommodates exotic quasiparticles such as Majorana bound states. One of the biggest drawbacks of the commonly studied 3D topological insulators is the presence of conducting bulk that obscures both surface states and low energy bound states. Introducing superconductivity in topological Kondo insulators such as SmB6, however, is promising due to their true insulating bulk at low temperatures. In this work, we develop an unconventional Josephson junction by coupling superconducting Nb leads to the surface states of a SmB6 crystal. We observe a robust critical current ...

Depth Dependent Atomic Valence Determination In La0.7sr0.3mno3 Thin Films Using Synchrotron Techniques, Robbyn B. Trappen

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

The valence of atoms often has a strong effect on the properties of materials, such as magnetism, conductivity, and superconductivity. The atomic valence is often perturbed at the surface and/or interface and this deviation may play a strong role in many physical phenomena such as interfacial coupling and dead layers, both magnetic and electric. In this dissertation, I present a non-destructive approach of combining two X-ray absorption detection modes, electron yield and fluorescence, with very different probing depths in conjunction with theory to map out the layer-by-layer valence of a thin film.

The weighted average Mn atomic valence as ...

Tuning The Magnetic Ground State Of Ce1−Xybxrhin5 By Yb Valence Fluctuations, S. Jang, N. Pouse, T. Keiber, Benjamin White, S. M. Dissler, J. W. Lynn, J. C. Collini, M. Janoschek, F. Bridges, M. Brian Maple

All Faculty Scholarship for the College of the Sciences

We characterize the properties of Ce_1−xYb_xRhIn₅ single crystals with 0 ⩽ x ⩽ 1 using measurements of powder x-ray diffraction, energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, electrical resistivity, magnetic susceptibility, specific heat, x-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES), and neutron diffraction. The Yb valence v_Yb, calculated from the magnetic susceptibility and measured using XANES, decreases from 3+ at x = 0 to ∼2.1+ at x_act = 0.2, where x_act is the measured Yb concentration. A transition from incommensurate to commensurate antiferromagnetism is observed in neutron diffraction measurements along Q = (0.5, 0.5, l) between ...

Observation Of A Pressure-Induced Transition From Interlayer Ferromagnetism To Intralayer Antiferromagnetism In Sr4Ru3O10, H. Zheng, W. H. Song, J. Terzic, H. D. Zhao, Y. F. Ni, Lance E. Delong, P. Schlottmann, G. Cao

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

Sr₄Ru₃O₁₀ is a Ruddlesden-Popper compound with triple Ru-O perovskite layers separated by Sr-O rock-salt layers. This compound presents a rare coexistence of interlayer (c-axis) ferromagnetism and intralayer (basal-plane) metamagnetism at ambient pressure. Here we report the observation of pressure-induced, intralayer itinerant antiferromagnetism arising from the interlayer ferromagnetism. The application of modest hydrostatic pressure generates an anisotropy that may cause a flattening and a tilting of RuO₆ octahedra. All magnetic and transport results from this study indicate these lattice distortions diminish the c-axis ferromagnetism and basal-plane metamagnetism, and induce a basal-plane antiferromagnetic state. The ...

Ambipolar Ferromagnetism By Electrostatic Doping Of A Manganite, L. M. Zheng, X. Renshaw Wang, W. M. Lü, C. J. Li, Tula R. Paudel, Z. Q. Liu, Z. Huang, S. W. Zeng, Kun Han, Z. H. Chen, X. P. Qiu, M. S. Li, Shize Yang, B. Yang, Matthew F. Chisholm, L. W. Martin, S. J. Pennycook, Evgeny Y. Tsymbal, J. M. D. Coey, W. W. Cao

Evgeny Tsymbal Publications

Complex-oxide materials exhibit physical properties that involve the interplay of charge and spin degrees of freedom. However, an ambipolar oxide that is able to exhibit both electron-doped and hole-doped ferromagnetism in the same material has proved elusive. Here we report ambipolar ferromagnetism in LaMnO₃, with electron–hole asymmetry of the ferromagnetic order. Starting from an undoped atomically thin LaMnO₃ film, we electrostatically dope the material with electrons or holes according to the polarity of a voltage applied across an ionic liquid gate. Magnetotransport characterization reveals that an increase of either electron-doping or hole-doping induced ferromagnetic order in this ...

Proximitized Materials, Igor Žutić, Alex Matos-Abiague, Benedikt Scharf, Hanan Dery, Kirill Belashchenko

Faculty Publications, Department of Physics and Astronomy

Advances in scaling down heterostructures and having an improved interface quality together with atomically thin two-dimensional materials suggest a novel approach to systematically design materials. A given material can be transformed through proximity effects whereby it acquires properties of its neighbors, for example, becoming superconducting, magnetic, topologically nontrivial, or with an enhanced spin-orbit coupling. Such proximity effects not only complement the conventional methods of designing materials by doping or functionalization but can also overcome their various limitations. In proximitized materials it is possible to realize properties that are not present in any constituent region of the considered heterostructure. While the ...

Magnetic Phases Of Large-Spin Ultracold Bosons: Quantum Dimer Models And Spin Liquid Phases, Todd C. Rutkowski

Graduate Dissertations and Theses

This thesis investigates the plausibility of producing a quantum spin liquid (QSL) with ultracold bosonic atoms optically confined to the Mott insulating state. QSLs have received a great deal of attention for being an antiferromagnetic groundstate with many exotic properties, including the absence of local order, long-range entanglement, and fractionalized excitations. However, the identification and characterization of these phases in solid state systems remains a great challenge. Here we outline an alternate route to uncovering the QSL phase, which from the nature of spin angular momentum for ultracold atoms encounters many properties unique to these systems along the way. This ...

Efficacy Of Multimedia Learning Modules As Preparation For Lecture-Based Tutorials In Electromagnetism, James Christopher Moore

Physics Faculty Publications

We have investigated the efficacy of on-line, multimedia learning modules (MLMs) as preparation for in-class, lecture-based tutorials in electromagnetism in a physics course for natural science majors (biology and marine science). Specifically, we report the results of a multiple-group pre/post-test research design comparing two groups receiving different treatments with respect to activities preceding participation in Tutorials in Introductory Physics. The different pre-tutorial activities were as follows: (1) students were assigned reading from a traditional textbook, followed by a traditional lecture; and (2) students completed on-line MLMs developed by the Physics Education Research Group at the University of Illinois at ...

Magnetic And Catalytic Properties Of Transition Metal Doped Mos2 Nanocrystals, Luis Martinez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Magnetism and catalytic activity of nanoscale layered two-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) have gained an increasing research interest in the recent past. To broaden the current knowledge and understanding on this subject, in this work, together with my collaborators, I study the magnetic and electrocatalytic properties of hydrothermally grown pristine and transition metal doped (10% of Co, Ni, Fe and Mn) 2H-MoS2 nanosheets/nanocrystals (NCs), with the particle size of 25-30 nm. A broad range of experimental measurements such as x-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, x-ray photo absorption spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, magnetic, catalytic and electron spin resonance have been ...

Structural And Magnetic Studies On Srco2as2 And Ca(Co1−Xfex)Yas2 Compounds Using X-Ray And Neutron Scattering, Wageesha Tharuki Jayasekara

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The AM2X2 (A = alkaline, alkaline earth or rare earth element M = transition metals, and X = pnictogen), 122 type ternary compounds acquire overwhelming attention due to their richness of the correlations and competition between the lattice, electronic, and magnetic degrees of freedom. Properly controlling those correlations can lead to a variety of novel ground states including different crystallographic structures, magnetically ordered states, or high-temperature superconductors. This thesis summarizes experimental work using high pressure and element substitution as tuning parameters in the study of selected 122 systems to understand their diverse structural and magnetic properties and interplay between the magnetism and electronic ...

Non-Centrosymmetric Superconductivity And Magnetism In The Presence Of Broken Symmetries, Mojammel Alam Khan

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Non-centrosymmetric (NC) superconducting and magnetic compounds have been synthesized and investigated using magnetic, specific heat, and transport measurements, as well as by neutron scattering and quantum oscillations. The crystal structures of NC compounds are defined by the lack of an inversion center. In NC superconductors, a finite antisymmetric spin orbit coupling originating from broken inversion symmetry results in unconventional Cooper pairing. Instead of a single spin channel, the order parameter is a mixture of spin-singlet and spin-triplet states. For NC magnetic compounds, the antisymmetric and isotropic spin interactions compete, leading to a helical ground state.

We have studied the NC ...

Effective One-Dimensional Coupling In The Highly Frustrated Square-Lattice Itinerant Magnet Caco 2 − Y As 2, Aashish Sapkota, B. G. Ueland, V. K. Anand, N. S. Sangeetha, D. L. Abernathy, M. B. Stone, J. L. Niedziela, D. C. Johnston, A. Kreyssig, A. I. Goldman, R. J. Mcqueeney

Ames Laboratory Accepted Manuscripts

Inelastic neutron scattering measurements on the itinerant antiferromagnet CaCo2−yAs2 at a temperature of 8 K reveal two orthogonal planes of scattering perpendicular to the Co square lattice in reciprocal space, demonstrating the presence of effective one-dimensional spin interactions. These results are shown to arise from near-perfect bond frustration within the J1-J2 Heisenberg model on a square lattice with ferromagnetic J1 and hence indicate that the extensive previous experimental and theoretical study of the J1-J2 Heisenberg model on local-moment square spin lattices should be expanded to include itinerant spin systems.

Magnetic Domain Morphology In [Co(4a)/Pt(7a] Thin Film, Jeremy Metzner

Student Works

A collection of results for multi-layered thin films and their magnetic domains.

Local Moments And Itinerant Electrons: Gaining New Insights Through Investigating Electronic And Dynamical Properties, Nicholas Steven Sirica

Doctoral Dissertations

Magnetic materials are often categorized in terms of either a purely local or a purely itinerant picture despite the fact that the vast majority actually fall within a spectrum that ranges between these two extremes. It is from such a starting point that this thesis aims at developing an understanding of how the complex interplay between local moments and itinerant electrons ultimately affects the electronic and dynamical properties. Such ideas are explored in greater detail using two materials as case studies: the chiral helimagnet Cr_1/3NbS₂ [Cr intercalated Niobium Disulfide] and YFe₂Ge₂ [Yttrium Iron ...

Suppression Of Magnetism In Ba5Alir2O11: Interplay Of Hund's Coupling, Molecular Orbitals, And Spin-Orbit Interaction, Sergey V. Streltsov, Gang Cao, Daniel I. Khomskii

Center for Advanced Materials Faculty Publications

The electronic and magnetic properties of Ba₅AlIr₂O₁₁ containing Ir-Ir dimers are investigated using the generalized gradient approximation (GGA) and GGA + spin-orbit coupling (SOC) calculations. We found that the strong suppression of the magnetic moment in this compound recently found by Terzic et al. [Phys. Rev. B 91, 235147 (2015)] is not due to charge ordering but is related to the joint effect of the spin-orbit interaction and strong covalency, resulting in the formation of metal-metal bonds. They conspire and act against the intraatomic Hund's rule exchange interaction to reduce total magnetic moment of the ...

Fabrication And Study Of The Structure And Magnetism Of Rare-Earth Free Nanoclusters, Bhaskar Das

Theses, Dissertations, and Student Research: Department of Physics and Astronomy

No abstract provided.

Gapless Symmetry-Protected Topological Order, Thomas Scaffidi, Daniel E. Parker, Romain Vasseur

Physics Department Faculty Publication Series

We introduce exactly solvable gapless quantum systems in d dimensions that support symmetry-protected topological (SPT) edge modes. Our construction leads to long-range entangled, critical points or phases that can be interpreted as critical condensates of domain walls “decorated” with dimension (d−1) SPT systems. Using a combination of field theory and exact lattice results, we argue that such gapless SPT systems have symmetry-protected topological edge modes that can be either gapless or symmetry broken, leading to unusual surface critical properties. Despite the absence of a bulk gap, these edge modes are robust against arbitrary symmetry-preserving local perturbations near the edges ...

Ultrafast Laser Dynamics And Interactions In Complex Materials, Aaron E. Patz

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The work described in this thesis underscores specific examples of using an ultrafast laser as a materials research tool for studying condensed matter physics in complex materials. The majority of materials studied fall into the iron-pnictide class of unconventional superconductors, which exhibit a multitude of phases that appear to be dependent on each other, or the magnetic semiconductor, GaMnAs. In my work I show various ultrafast laser techniques for studying these complex materials in order to decouple the different properties in the time-domain and gain information about the underlying physics governing the material properties.

Characterizing Local Order And Physical Properties Of Rare Earth Complex Oxides, Thomas Jacob Shamblin

Doctoral Dissertations

With more than 500 compositions, materials possessing the pyrochlore structure have a myriad of technological applications and physical phenomena. Three of the most noteworthy properties are the structure’s ability to resist amorphization making it a possible host matrix for spent nuclear fuel, its exotic magnetic properties arising from geometric frustration, and fast ionic conductivity for solid-oxide fuel cell applications. This work focuses on these three aspects of the pyrochlore’s many potential uses. Structural characterization revealed that pyrochlore-type oxides have a tendency to disorder from a high symmetry cubic structure to a lower symmetry orthorhombic arrangement in response to ...

Nanophotonics For Dark Materials, Filters, And Optical Magnetism, Mengren Man

Open Access Dissertations

Research on nanophotonic structures for three application areas is described, a near perfect optical absorber based on a graphene/dielectric stack, an ultraviolet bandpass filter formed with an aluminum/dielectric stack, and structures exhibiting homogenizable magnetic properties at infrared frequencies. The graphene stack can be treated as a effective, homogenized medium that can be designed to reflect little light and absorb an astoundingly high amount per unit thickness, making it an ideal dark material and providing a new avenue for photonic devices based on two-dimensional materials. Another material stack arrangement with thin layers of metal and insulator forms a multi-cavity ...

Defect Driven Magnetism In Doped Sno2 Nanoparticles: Surface Effects, Pushpa Raghani, Pankaj Kumar, Balaji Ramanujam, Alex Punnoose

Physics Faculty Publications and Presentations

Magnetism and energetics of intrinsic and extrinsic defects and defect clusters in bulk and surfaces of SnO₂ is investigated using first-principles to understand the role of surfaces in inducing magnetism in Zn doped nanoparticles. We find that Sn vacancies induce the largest magnetic moment in bulk and on surfaces. However, they have very large formation energies in bulk as well as on surfaces. Oxygen vacancies on the other hand are much easier to create than V_Sn, but neutral and V_O⁺² vacancies do not induce any magnetism in bulk as well as on surfaces. V_O^{+1 ...}

Ground-State Tuning Of Metal-Insulator Transition By Compositional Variations In Bair1−XRuXO3 (0 ≤ X ≤ 1), Shujuan Yuan, Kamal H. Butrouna, Jsaminka Terzic, Hao Zheng, Saicharan Aswartham, Lance E. Delong, Feng Ye, P. Schlottmann, Gang Cao

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

Hexagonal BaIrO3 is a magnetic insulator driven by the spin-orbit interaction (SOI), whereas BaRuO₃ is an enhanced paramagnetic metal. Our investigation of structural, magnetic, transport, and thermal properties reveals that substitution of Ru⁴⁺ (4d⁴) ions for Ir⁴⁺ (5d⁵) ions in BaIrO₃ reduces the magnitudes of the SOI and a monoclinic structural distortion and rebalances the competition between the SOI and the lattice degrees of freedom to render an evolution from a magnetic insulting state to a robust metallic state. The central findings of this paper are as follows: (1) light Ru doping ...

Defect Driven Magnetism In Doped Sno2 Nanoparticles: Surface Effects, Pushpa Raghani, Pankaj Kumar, Balaji Ramanujam, Alex Punnoose

Pushpa Raghani

Magnetism and energetics of intrinsic and extrinsic defects and defect clusters in bulk and surfaces of SnO2 is investigated using first-principles to understand the role of surfaces in inducing magnetism in Zn doped nanoparticles. We find that Sn vacancies induce the largest magnetic moment in bulk and on surfaces. However, they have very large formation energies in bulk as well as on surfaces. Oxygen vacancies on the other hand are much easier to create than VSn, but neutral and VO+2 vacancies do not induce any magnetism in bulk as well as on surfaces. VO+1 induce small magnetism in ...

Interface‐Coupled Bifeo3/Bimno3 Superlattices With Magnetic Transition Temperature Up To 410 K, Eun-Mi Choi, Josée E. Kliebeuker, Thomas Fix, Jie Xiong, Christy J. Kinane, Dario Arena, Sean Langridge, Aiping Chen, Zhenxing Bi, Joon Hwan Lee, Quanix Jia, Mark G. Blamire, Judith L. Macmanus-Driscoll

Physics Faculty Publications

Enhanced magnetic transition temperatures are demonstrated in 50 nm thick (001)‐oriented (BiFeO₃)_m/(BiMnO₃)_m (BFO/BMO) superlattices (SL). Highly strained ultra‐short SLs showed a magnetic transition, T_C2, up to ≈410 K as a result of ferrimagnetic interaction between BFO/BMO. All SL showed a new ferromagnetic transtion, T_C1, of ≈150 K coming from Fe⁴⁺‐Fe⁴⁺ interaction explained by electron transfer/leakage from Fe³⁺ to Mn³⁺.

Electron Heat Flow Due To Magnetic Field Fluctuations, Jeong-Young Ji, Gunyoung Park, Sung Sik Kim, Eric D. Held

All Physics Faculty Publications

Radial heat transport induced by magnetic field line fluctuations is obtained from the integral parallel heat flow closure for arbitrary collisionality. The parallel heat flow and its radial component are computed for a single harmonic sinusoidal field line perturbation. In the collisional and collisionless limits, averaging the heat flow over an unperturbed surface yields Rechester-Rosenbluth like formulae with quantitative factors. The single harmonic result is generalized to multiple harmonics given a spectrum of small magnetic perturbations. In the collisionless limit, the heat and particle transport relations are also derived. © 2016 IOP Publishing Ltd.

Electronic Structure And Stability Of Ligated Superatoms And Bimetallic Clusters, William H. Blades

Theses and Dissertations

Quantum confinement in small metal clusters leads to a bunching of states into electronic shells reminiscent of shells in atoms. The addition of ligands can tune the valence electron count and electron distribution in metal clusters. A combined experimental and theoretical study of the reactivity of methanol with Al_nI_m⁻ clusters reveals that ligands can enhance the stability of clusters. In some cases the electronegative ligand may perturb the charge density of the metallic core generating active sites that can lead to the etching of the cluster. Also, an investigation is conducted to understand how the bonding scheme ...