No Arabic abstract
We have studied the local electronic structure of LaMn0.5Co0.5O3 using soft-x-ray absorption spectroscopy at the Co-L_3,2 and Mn-L_3,2 edges. We found a high-spin Co^{2+}--Mn^{4+} valence state for samples with the optimal Curie temperature. We discovered that samples with lower Curie temperatures contain low-spin nonmagnetic Co^{3+} ions. Using soft-x-ray magnetic circular dichroism we established that the Co^{2+} and Mn^{4+} ions are ferromagnetically aligned. We revealed also that the Co^{2+} ions have a large orbital moment: m_orb/m_spin ~ 0.47. Together with model calculations, this suggests the presence of a large magnetocrystalline anisotropy in the material and predicts a non-trivial temperature dependence for the magnetic susceptibility.
GdNi is a ferrimagnetic material with a Curie temperature Tc = 69 K which exhibits a large magnetocaloric effect, making it useful for magnetic refrigerator applications. We investigate the electronic structure of GdNi by carrying out x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and x-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) at T = 25 K in the ferrimagnetic phase. We analyze the Gd M$_{4,5}$-edge ($3d$ - $4f$) and Ni L$_{2,3}$-edge ($2p$ - $3d$) spectra using atomic multiplet and cluster model calculations, respectively. The atomic multiplet calculation for Gd M$_{4,5}$-edge XAS indicates that Gd is trivalent in GdNi, consistent with localized $4f$ states. On the other hand, a model cluster calculation for Ni L$_{2,3}$-edge XAS shows that Ni is effectively divalent in GdNi and strongly hybridized with nearest neighbour Gd states, resulting in a $d$-electron count of 8.57. The Gd M$_{4,5}$-edge XMCD spectrum is consistent with a ground state configuration of S = 7/2 and L=0. The Ni L$_{2,3}$-edge XMCD results indicate that the antiferromagnetically aligned Ni moments exhibit a small but finite magnetic moment ( $m_{tot}$ $sim$ 0.12 $mu_B$ ) with the ratio $m_{o}/m_{s}$ $sim$ 0.11. Valence band hard x-ray photoemission spectroscopy shows Ni $3d$ features at the Fermi level, confirming a partially filled $3d$ band, while the Gd $4f$ states are at high binding energies away from the Fermi level. The results indicate that the Ni $3d$ band is not fully occupied and contradicts the charge-transfer model for rare-earth based alloys. The obtained electronic parameters indicate that GdNi is a strongly correlated charge transfer metal with the Ni on-site Coulomb energy being much larger than the effective charge-transfer energy between the Ni $3d$ and Gd $4f$ states.
We have studied the electronic and magnetic states of Co and Mn atoms at the interface of the Co$_mathrm{2}$Mn$_{beta}$Si (CMS)/MgO ($beta$=0.69, 0.99, 1.15 and 1.29) magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) by means of x-ray magnetic circular dichroism. In particular, the Mn composition ($beta$) dependences of the Mn and Co magnetic moments were investigated. The experimental spin magnetic moments of Mn, $m_mathrm{spin}$(Mn), derived from XMCD weakly decreased with increasing Mn composition $beta$ in going from Mn-deficient to Mn-rich CMS films. This behavior was explained by first-principles calculations based on the antisite-based site-specific formula unit (SSFU) composition model, which assumes the formation of only antisite defect, not vacancies, to accommodate off-stoichiometry. Furthermore, the experimental spin magnetic moments of Co, $m_mathrm{spin}$(Co), also weakly decreased with increasing Mn composition. This behavior was consistently explained by the antisite-based SSFU model, in particular, by the decrease in the concentration of Co$_mathrm{Mn}$ antisites detrimental to the half-metallicity of CMS with increasing $beta$. This finding is consistent with the higher TMR ratios which have been observed for CMS/MgO/CMS MTJs with Mn-rich CMS electrodes.
We have performed x-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) measurements on the iron-based superconductor Sr$_2$VFeAsO$_{3-delta}$ to study the origin of weak ferromagnetism (WFM) reported for this compound. While Fe 3$d$ electrons show a magnetic response similar to the other iron pnictides, signals from V 3$d$ electrons remain finite at zero magnetic field and may be responsible for the WFM.
Soft x-ray absorption experiments on the transition metal L2,3 edge of multiferroic MnWO4 and antiferromagnetic CoWO4 are presented. The observed linear polarization dependence, analyzed by full-multiplet calculations, is used to determine the ground state wave function of the magnetic Mn2+ and Co2+ ions. The impact of the local structure and the spin-orbit coupling on the orbital moment is discussed in terms of the single-ion anisotropy. It is shown that the orbital moment in CoWO4 is responsible for the collinear antiferromagnetism, while the small size of spin-orbit coupling effects make spiral magnetic order in MnWO4 possible, enabling the material to be multiferroic.
We report a combined study for the electronic structures of ferromagnetic CeAgSb$_2$ using soft X-ray absorption (XAS), magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD), and angle-resolved photoemission (ARPES) spectroscopies. The Ce $M_{4, 5}$ XAS spectra show very small satellite structures, reflecting a strongly localized character of the Ce $4f$ electrons. The linear dichroism effects in the Ce $M_{4, 5}$ XAS spectra demonstrate the ground state Ce $4f$ symmetry of $Gamma{_6}$, the spatial distribution of which is directed along the $c$-axis. The XMCD results give support to the picture of local-moment magnetism in CeAgSb$_2$. Moreover it is also found that the theoretical band dispersions for LaAgSb$_2$ provides better description of the ARPES band structures than those for CeAgSb$_2$. Nevertheless, ARPES spectra at the Ce $3d$-$4f$ resonance show the momentum dependence for the intensity ratio between Ce $4f^{1}_{5/2}$ and $4f^{1}_{7/2}$ peaks in a part of the Brillouin zone, suggesting the non-negligible momentum dependent hybridization effect between the Ce $4f$ and the conduction electrons. This is associated with the moderate mass enhancement in CeAgSb$_2$.