We have investigated the anisotropic magnetocaloric effect and the rotating field magnetic entropy in Dy FeO3 single crystal. A giant rotating field entropy change of -ΔSM^R = 16.62 J/kg·K was achieved from b axis to c axis in bc plane at 5 K for a low field change of 20 k Oe. The large anisotropic magnetic entropy change is mainly accounted for the 4 f electron of rare-earth Dy^3＋ ion. The large value of rotating field entropy change, together with large refrigeration capacity and negligible hysteresis, suggests that the multiferroic ferrite Dy FeO3 singlecrystal could be a potential material for anisotropic magnetic refrigeration at low field, which can be realized in the practical application around liquid helium temperature region.
The magneto-optical Kerr effect susceptometry technique is proposed to determine the uniaxial magnetic anisotropy （UMA） constant Ku. The magnetic properties of Cu/Fe/SiO2/Si grown by dc magnetron sputtering were investigated. The in-plane uniaxial magnetic anisotropy was probed by the magneto-optical Kerr effect （MOKE）. The value of UMA, Ku = 2.5 x 103 J/m3, was simulated from the field dependence of ac susceptibility along the hard axis according to the Stoner-Wohlfarth （S-W） model, which is consistent with Ku = 2.7~ 103 J/m3 calculated from the magnetic hysteresis loops. Our results show that the magneto-optical Kerr effect susceptometry can be employed to determine the magnetic anisotropy constant owing to its high sensitivity.
The ferromagnetic semiconductor La2NiMnO6 （LNMO） has recently received much attention due to its high Curie temperature （Tc 280 K）, which is close to room temperature. We prepared single-phase LNMO polycrystaUine samples and investigated the temperature- and field-dependent magnetic behaviors of bulk LNMO. Between Tc and T＊ = 300 K, we observed upward and downward deviations from the Curie-Weiss law for high and low magnetic fields, respectively. From the electron spin resonance results, we can exclude the existence of the Griffiths phase. On the contrary, our results indicate that the abnormal magnetic behaviors might be induced by antisite phase boundaries with antiferromagnetic interaction.
The Jahn-Teller distortion plays an important role in determining the exchange interaction in rare-earth manganites.In this work we study the influence of the Jahn-Teller distortion on the magnetic structures of TbMn1-xFexO3（x = 0,0.02,0.05,0.10,and 0.20） single crystals in the basal MnO2 plane.The decrease in the quadruple splitting with the increasing Fe doping indicates the reduction of the Jahn-Teller distortion,which makes the nearest neighboring（NN） FM interaction dominant over the next nearest neighbor（NNN） AFM interaction.This alteration is favorable for the development of A-type AFM ordering instead of the spiral magnetic ordering,which collapses when x ≥ 0.05.The analysis of dielectric data indicates that the ferroelectricity is arising from the peculiar spiral magnetic ordering.
Topological insulators （Tls） are bulk insulators that possess robust helical conducting states along their interfaces with conventional insulators. A tremendous research effort has recently been devoted to TI-based heterostructures, in which con- ventional proximity effects give rise to a series of exotic physical phenomena. This paper reviews our recent studies on the potential existence of topological proximity effects at the interface between a topological insulator and a normal insu- lator or other topologically trivial systems. Using first-principles approaches, we have realized the tunability of the vertical location of the topological helical state via intriguing dual-proximity effects. To further elucidate the control parameters of this effect, we have used the graphene-based heterostructures as prototypical systems to reveal a more complete phase diagram. On the application side of the topological helical states, we have presented a catalysis example, where the topo- logical helical state plays an essential role in facilitating surface reactions by serving as an effective electron bath, These discoveries lay the foundation for accurate manipulation of the real space properties of the topological helical state in TI- based heterostructures and pave the way for realization of the salient functionality of topological insulators in future device applications.
Lateral resistance of silicon-based p-type and n-type Schottky junctions is investigated. After one electrode on a metallic film is irradiated, the differential lateral resistance of the system is dependent on the direction of the bias current：it keeps constant in one direction and decreases in the opposite direction. By systematically investigating the electrical potential changes in silicon and the junction, we propose a new mechanism based on light-controlled leak current. Our work provides an insight into the nature of this phenomenon and will facilitate the advanced design of switchable devices.
It is becoming increasingly clear that the exotic properties displayed by correlated electronic materials such as high- Tc superconductivity in cuprates, colossal magnetoresistance （CMR） in manganites, and heavy-fermion compounds are intimately related to the coexistence of competing nearly degenerate states which couple simultaneously active degrees of freedom---charge, lattice, orbital, and spin states. The striking phenomena associated with these materials are due in a large part to spatial electronic inhomogeneities, or electronic phase separation （EPS）. In many of these hard materials, the functionality is a result of the soft electronic component that leads to self-organization. In this paper, we review our recent work on a novel spatial confinement technique that has led to some fascinating new discoveries about the role of EPS in manganites. Using lithographic techniques to confine manganite thin films to length scales of the EPS domains that reside within them, it is possible to simultaneously probe EPS domains with different electronic states. This method allows for a much more complete view of the phases residing in a material and gives vital information on phase formation, movement, and fluctuation. Pushing this trend to its limit, we propose to control the formation process of the EPS using external local fields, which include magnetic exchange field, strain field, and electric field. We term the ability to pattern EPS ＂electronic nanofabrication.＂ This method allows us to control the global physical properties of the system at a very fundamental level, and greatly enhances the potential for realizing true oxide electronics.
We present our extensive research into magnetic anisotropy. We tuned the terrace width of Si（111） substrate by a novel method： varying the direction of heating current and consequently manipulating the magnetic anisotropy of magnetic structures on the stepped substrate by decorating its atomic steps. Laser-induced ultrafast demagnetization of a Co FeB/MgO/CoFeB magnetic tunneling junction was explored by the time-resolved magneto-optical Kerr effect（TRMOKE） for both the parallel state（P state） and the antiparallel state（AP state） of the magnetizations between two magnetic layers. It was observed that the demagnetization time is shorter and the magnitude of demagnetization is larger in the AP state than those in the P state. These behaviors are attributed to the ultrafast spin transfer between two CoFeB layers via the tunneling of hot electrons through the MgO barrier. Our observation indicates that ultrafast demagnetization can be engineered by the hot electron tunneling current. This opens the door to manipulate the ultrafast spin current in magnetic tunneling junctions. Furthermore, an all-optical TR-MOKE technique provides the flexibility for exploring the nonlinear magnetization dynamics in ferromagnetic materials, especially with metallic materials.
Temperature dependence of magnetic switching processes with multiple jumps in Fe/MgO（001） films is investigated by magnetoresistance measurements. When the temperature decreases from 300K to 80K, the measured three-jump hysteresis loops turn into two-jump loops. The temperature dependence of the fourfold in-plane magnetic anisotropy constant K1, domain wall pinning energy, and an additional uniaxial magnetic anisotropy constant KUare responsible for this transformation. The strengths of K1 and domain wall pinning energy increase with decreasing temperature, but KU remains unchanged. Moreover, magnetization reversal mechanisms, with either two successive or two separate 90°domain wall propagation, are introduced to explain the multi-jump magnetic switching process in epitaxial Fe/MgO（001） films at different temperatures.
The anisotropic transport property was investigated in a phase separation La（0.67）Ca（0.33）MnO3（LCMO） film grown on（001）-oriented Nd GaO3（NGO） substrate. It was found that the resistivity along the b-axis is much higher than that along the a-axis. Two resistivity peaks were observed in the temperature dependent measurement along the b-axis, one located at 91 K and the other centered at 165 K. Moreover, we also studied the response of the resistivities along the two axes to various electric currents, magnetic fields, and light illuminations. The resistivities along the two axes are sensitive to the magnetic field. However, the electric current and light illumination can influence the resistivity along the b-axis obviously, but have little effect on the resistivity along the a-axis. Based on these results, we believe that an anisotropicstrain-controlled MnO6 octahedra shear-mode deformation may provide a mechanism of conduction filaments paths along the a-axis, which leads to the anisotropic transport property.
