| 1. |
- Locht, Inka Laura Marie, 1986-
(författare)
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Cohesive and Spectroscopic properties of the Lanthanides within the Hubbard I Approximation
- 2015
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Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- We describe the rare-earth elements using the Hubbard I approximation. We show that the theory reproduces the cohesive properties, like the volume and bulk modulus, and we find an excellent agreement between theory and experiment for the (inverse) photo emission spectra of the valence band. In addition we reproduce the spin and orbital moments of these elements. This licentiate thesis contains an introduction to the cohesive, magnetic and spectral properties of the rare-earth elements, to density functional theory and to density functional theory in combination with dynamical mean-field theory within the Hubbard I approximation. We also focus on some technical details, e.g. the optimal basis used in the electronic structure code and the role of charge self-consistency in properly describing the valence electrons.
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| 2. |
- Isaeva, Leyla
(författare)
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Amorphous and crystalline functional materials from first principles
- 2015
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This thesis deals with various functional materials from first-principles methods and is divided into two major parts according to the underlying atomic structure of the system under study. The first part of the thesis deals with the temperature-induced structural phase transitions in metallic β'-AuZn and perovskite oxide LiOsO3. The former one, i.e. binary AuZn, belongs to a class of shape-memory alloys that regain their initial shape due to a reversible martensitic phase transformation. Here, by means of density functional and density functional perturbation theories, we show that the martensitic transition is due to coupling between the Fermi surface nesting and anomalies in the phonon dispersion relations. The other metallic system, perovskite LiOsO3, exhibits a ferroelectric-like transition and is currently the first and sole realization of the Anderson and Blount idea. By means of ab initio molecular dynamics simulations, we investigate the mechanism behind this structural phase transformation.Another part of the thesis is dedicated to modelling and characterization of topologically disordered materials on atomic level. The structural and electronic properties of amorphous W-S-N are addressed regarding its outstanding tribological properties, i.e. almost vanishing friction coefficient. Molecular dynamics “melt-and-quench” technique has been employed in order to construct a model structure of amorphous W-S-N. Further analysis of the atomic structure revealed a formation of quasi-free N2 molecules trapped in S cages, which, together with the complex atomic structure of W-S-N, is the key to ultra-low-friction in this functional material.In the last chapter of the thesis a magnetic class of amorphous materials is addressed. Magnetic order in amorphous Gd-Fe ferrimagnet has been shown to undergo magnezation switching driven by a femtosecond laser pulse. Here, we combine first-principles density functional theory and atomistic spin dynamics simulations to explore this phenomena. A possible mechanism behind magnetization reversal in Gd-Fe based on a combination of the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction and exchange frustration is proposed.
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| 3. |
- Iusan, Diana Mihaela
(författare)
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Density Functional Theory Applied to Materials for Spintronics
- 2010
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The properties of dilute magnetic semiconductors have been studied by combined ab initio, Monte Carlo, and experimental techniques. This class of materials could be very important for future spintronic devices, that offer enriched functionality by making use of both the spin and the charge of the electrons. The main part of the thesis concerns the transition metal doped ZnO. The role of defects on the magnetic interactions in Mn-doped ZnO was investigated. In the presence of acceptor defects such as zinc vacancies and oxygen substitution by nitrogen, the magnetic interactions are ferromagnetic. For dilute concentrations of Mn (~ 5%) the ordering temperature of the system is low, due to the short ranged character of the exchange interactions and disorder effects. The clustering tendency of the Co atoms in a ZnO matrix was also studied. The electronic structure, and in turn the magnetic interactions among the Co atoms, is strongly dependent on the exchange-correlation functional used. It is found that Co impurities tend to form nanoclusters and that the interactions among these atoms are antiferromagnetic within the local spin density approximation + Hubbard U approach. The electronic structure, as well as the chemical and magnetic interactions in Co and (Co,Al)-doped ZnO, was investigated by joined experimental and theoretical techniques. For a good agreement between the two, approximations beyond the local density approximation must be used. It is found that the Co atoms prefer to cluster within the semiconducting matrix, a tendency which is increased with Al co-doping. We envision that it is best to describe the system as superparamagnetic due to the formation of Co nanoclusters within which the interactions are antiferromagnetic. The magnetic anisotropy and evolution of magnetic domains in Fe81Ni19/Co(001) superlattices were investigated both experimentally, as well as using model spin dynamics. A magnetic reorientation transition was found.
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| 4. |
- Burkert, Till, 1972-
(författare)
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Materials for Magnetic Recording Applications
- 2005
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- In the first part of this work, the influence of hydrogen on the structural and magnetic properties of Fe/V(001) superlattices was studied. The local structure of the vanadium-hydride layers was determined by extended x-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) measurements. The magnetic ordering in a weakly coupled Fe/V(001) superlattice was investigated using the magneto-optical Kerr effect (MOKE). The interlayer exchange coupling is weakened upon alloying with hydrogen and a phase with short-range magnetic order was observed. The second part is concerned with first-principles calculations of magnetic materials, with a focus on magnetic recording applications. The uniaxial magnetic anisotropy energy (MAE) of Fe, Co, and Ni was calculated for tetragonal and trigonal structures. Based on an analysis of the electronic states of tetragonal Fe and Co at the center of the Brillouin zone, tetragonal Fe-Co alloys were proposed as a material that combines a large uniaxial MAE with a large saturation magnetization. This was confirmed by experimental studies on (Fe,Co)/Pt superlattices. The large uniaxial MAE of L10 FePt is caused by the large spin-orbit interaction on the Pt sites in connection with a strong hybridization between Fe and Pt. Furthermore, it was shown that the uniaxial MAE can be increased by alloying the Fe sublattice with Mn. The combination of the high-moment rare-earth (RE) metals with the high-TC 3d transition metals in RE/Cr/Fe multilayers (RE = Gd, Tb, Dy) gives rise to a strong ferromagnetic effective exchange interaction between the Fe layers and the RE layer. The MAE of hcp Gd was found to have two principal contributions, namely the dipole interaction of the large localized 4f spins and the band electron magnetic anisotropy due to the spin-orbit interaction. The peculiar temperature dependence of the easy axis of magnetization was reproduced on a qualitative level.
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| 5. |
- Chimata, Raghuveer, 1984-
(författare)
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Magnetization dynamics of complex magnetic materials by atomistic spin dynamics simulations
- 2017
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- In recent years, there has been an intense interest in understanding the microscopic mechanism of laser induced ultrafast magnetization dynamics in picosecond time scales. Magnetization switching on such a time scale has potential to be a significant boost for the data storage industry. It is expected that the writing process will become ~1000 times faster by this technology, compared to existing techniques. Understanding the microscopic mechanisms and controlling the magnetization in such a time scale is of paramount importance at present.In this thesis, laser induced ultrafast magnetization dynamics has been studied for Fe, Co, GdFe, CoMn and Heusler alloys. A multiscale approach has been used, i.e., first-principles density functional theory combined with atomistic spin dynamics utilizing the Landau –Lifshitz-Gilbert equation, along with a three-temperature phenomenological model to obtain the spin temperature. Special attention has been paid to the calculations of exchange interaction and Gilbert damping parameters. These parameters play a crucial role in determining the ultrafast magnetization dynamics under laser fluence of the considered materials.The role of longitudinal and transversal excitations was studied for elemental ferromagnets, such as Fe and Co. A variety of complex temporal behavior of the magnetic properties was observed, which can be understood from the interplay between electron, spin, and lattice subsystems. The very intricate structural and magnetic nature of amorphous Gd-Fe alloys for a wide range of Gd and Fe atomic concentrations at the nanoscale was studied. We have shown that the ultrafast thermal switching process can happen above the compensation temperature in GdFe alloys. It is demonstrated that the exchange frustration via Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction between the atomic Gd moments, in Gd rich area of these alloys, leads to Gd demagnetization faster than the Fe sublattice. In addition, we show that Co is a perfect Heisenberg system. Both Co and CoMn alloys have been investigated with respect to ultrafast magnetization dynamics. Also, it is predicted that ultrafast switching process can happen in the Heulser alloys when they are doped with heavy elements. Finally, we studied multiferroic CoCr2O4 and Ca3CoMnO4 systems by using the multiscale approach to study magnetization dynamics. In summary, our approach is able to capture crucial details of ultrafast magnetization dynamics in technologically important materials.
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| 6. |
- Dziekan, Thomas, 1975-
(författare)
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Electronic Transport in Strained Materials
- 2008
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- In this thesis the conductivity of strained materials has been investigated using density functional theory and a semiclassical transport theory based on the Boltzmann equation.In transition metals trends are reproduced without adjustable parameters. The introduction of one temperature dependent cross section allowed the reproduction of resistivity trends between 10 and 1000K.The effect of strain on transition metals in bcc and fcc structure was studied deforming the unit cell along the tetragonal deformation path. The anisotropy of the conductivity varied on wide range of the c/a-ratio. The orbitals at the Fermi level determined the principal behavior. Pairs of elements with permutated number of electrons and holes in the 4d band showed similar behavior. The concept of the tetragonal deformation was also applied on semiconductors.The deformation of Vanadium in X/V superlattices (X=Cr,~Fe,~Mo) due to Hydrogen loading depends on the properties of X. It was found that counteracting effects due to the presence of Hydrogen influence the conductivity.It is shown that a small magnetic moment of the V host reduces the hydrogen solubility. Depending on the magnitude of the tetragonal distortion of V, the hydrogen dissolution becomes favored for larger moments.Finally, extra charge filling of the bandstructure of Cr and Mo decreases the Fermi velocity and increases the density of states at the Fermi energy.
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| 7. |
- Edström, Alexander, 1988-
(författare)
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Theoretical and Computational Studies on the Physics of Applied Magnetism : Magnetocrystalline Anisotropy of Transition Metal Magnets and Magnetic Effects in Elastic Electron Scattering
- 2016
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- In this thesis, two selected topics in magnetism are studied using theoretical modelling and computational methods. The first of these is the magnetocrystalline anisotropy energy (MAE) of transition metal based magnets. In particular, ways of finding 3d transition metal based materials with large MAE are considered. This is motivated by the need for new permanent magnet materials, not containing rare-earth elements, but is also of interest for other technological applications, where the MAE is a key quantity. The mechanisms of the MAE in the relevant materials are reviewed and approaches to increasing this quantity are discussed. Computational methods, largely based on density functional theory (DFT), are applied to guide the search for relevant materials. The computational work suggests that the MAE of Fe1-xCox alloys can be significantly enhanced by introducing a tetragonality with interstitial B or C impurities. This is also experimentally corroborated. Alloying is considered as a method of tuning the electronic structure around the Fermi energy and thus also the MAE, for example in the tetragonal compound (Fe1-xCox)2B. Additionally, it is shown that small amounts (2.5-5 at.%) of various 5d dopants on the Fe/Co-site can enhance the MAE of this material with as much as 70%. The magnetic properties of several technologically interesting, chemically ordered, L10 structured binary compounds, tetragonal Fe5Si1-xPxB2 and Hexagonal Laves phase Fe2Ta1-xWx are also investigated. The second topic studied is that of magnetic effects on the elastic scattering of fast electrons, in the context of transmission electron microscopy (TEM). A multislice solution is implemented for a paraxial version of the Pauli equation. Simulations require the magnetic fields in the sample as input. A realistic description of magnetism in a solid, for this purpose, is derived in a scheme starting from a DFT calculation of the spin density or density matrix. Calculations are performed for electron vortex beams passing through magnetic solids and a magnetic signal, defined as a difference in intensity for opposite orbital angular momentum beams, integrated over a disk in the diffraction plane, is observed. For nanometer sized electron vortex beams carrying orbital angular momentum of a few tens of ħ, a relative magnetic signal of order 10-3 is found. This is considered realistic to be observed in experiments. In addition to electron vortex beams, spin polarised and phase aberrated electron beams are considered and also for these a magnetic signal, albeit weaker than that of the vortex beams, can be obtained.
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| 8. |
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| 9. |
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| 10. |
- Grechnyev, Oleksiy, 1977-
(författare)
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Theoretical Studies of Two-Dimensional Magnetism and Chemical Bonding
- 2005
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This thesis is divided into two parts. In the first part we study thermodynamics of the two-dimensional Heisenberg ferromagnet with dipolar interaction. This interaction breaks the conditions of the Mermin-Wagner theorem, resulting in a finite transition temperature. Our calculations are done within the framework of the self-consistent spin-wave theory (SSWT), which is modified in order to include the dipolar interaction. Both quantum and classical versions of the Heisenberg model are considered.The second part of the thesis investigates the chemical bonding in solids from the first principles calculations. A new chemical bonding indicator called balanced crystal orbital overlap population (BCOOP) is developed. BCOOP is less basis set dependent than the earlier indicators and it can be used with full-potential density-functional theory (DFT) codes. We apply BCOOP formalism to the chemical bonding in the high-T_c superconductor MgB2 and the theoretically predicted MAX phase Nb3SiC2. We also study how the chemical bonding results in a repulsive hydrogen–hydrogen interaction in metal hydrides. The role of this interaction in the structural phase transition in Ti3SnHx is investigated.
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