Generation of pairs of antiferromagnetic vortices and their dynamics at a domain wall in yttrium orthoferrite

The stable generation of pairs of antiferromagnetic vortices at a domain wall moving at a velocity of 12 km/s is investigated at the instant it passes through a defect in a thin plate of yttrium orthoferrite. The velocities of a vortex and an antivortex moving in opposite directions along the domain wall and being accompanied by solitary flexural waves are ±16 km/s. The total velocity of antiferromagnetic vortices is close to the maximum velocity of the domain wall, 20 km/s. Such a high velocity can only be due to the action of a quite large gyroscopic force. An external dc magnetic field (±400 Oe) applied along the b axis of the orthoferrite affects this velocity insignificantly. The effective magnetic field that violates the Lorentz invariance of the dynamics considerably exceeds this value.     

Gyroscopic quasi-relativistic dynamics of antiferromagnetic vortex in domain boundary of yttrium orthoferrite

It is demonstrated that the quasi-relativistic dynamics of antiferromagnetic vortices in a quasi-relativistic domain boundary of yttrium orthoferrite are caused by the unusually strong gyroscopic force.     

Generation, dynamics, and collisions of bending waves at domain boundaries in yttrium orthoferrite

Solitary bending waves have been observed on domain boundaries of Néel type in wafers of yttrium orthoferrite, having a very sharp leading edge and an extended trailing edge and offset as a whole from the domain boundary and moving with high speeds close to the limiting velocity. Head-on collisions of two such waves of the same amplitude lead to their complete annihilation. Analogous collisions of two such waves, but of different amplitudes, lead to the appearance of a wave with the difference amplitude moving in the same direction as the wave of larger amplitude. The solitary bending waves investigated in this study appear to move under the action of gyroscopic forces acting on magnetic vortices on domain boundaries in yttrium orthoferrite, analogous to vertical Bloch lines with departure of the magnetization vector from the ac plane. From equality of the gyroscopic force with the friction force acting on the leading edge of the solitary bending wave we have estimated the amplitudes of these waves and the magnitudes of the topological charges of the magnetic vortices. Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 115, 2160–2169 (June 1999)     

Solitary deflection waves on the supersonic domain wall in yttrium orthoferrite

The moving antiferromagnetic vortices are accompanied by solitary deflection waves. These waves allow to investigate generation and nonlinear dynamics of the antiferromagnetic vortices on the moving domain wall with the help of the two- and three-fold digital high speed photography. On the quasi-relativistic domain wall the vortex dynamics is quasi-relativistic with the limiting velocity c=20 km/s, which is equal to the spin-wave velocity. The solitary deflection waves dynamics can be explained assuming existence of the gyroscopic force. A theory for the gyroscopic force in the orthoferrite domain wall is elaborating by A.K. Zvezdin et al. currently. We present a comparison of the theoretical and experimental results on the dynamics of the solitary deflection waves, which accompany the antiferromagnetic vortices in the domain wall of orthoferrites.     

Generation and gyroscopic quasi-relativistic dynamics of antiferromagnetic vortices in domain walls of yttrium orthoferrite

An unusual nonlinear relation between the velocity of an antiferromagnetic (AFM) vortex along a domain wall (DW) on the DW velocity is detected. This relation has a maximum whose position depends on the topological charge of the vortex. As the DW velocity increases from the value corresponding to the maximum to its limiting value, the AFM-vortex velocity decreases and tends to zero. The total AFM-vortex velocity increases nonlinearly with the DW velocity and levels off at 20 km/s, which is equal to the velocity of spin waves in the linear section of their dispersion law. The experimental data are approximated satisfactorily. The dynamics of AFM vortices in DWs of yttrium orthoferrite, just as the dynamics of the DWs, is quasi-relativistic and gyroscopic.     

Gyroscopic dynamics of antiferromagnetic vortices in the orthoferrite domain wall

The method of generation of antiferromagnetic vortices on the supersound domain wall in the orthoferrites was proposed. Moving antiferromagnetic vortices were accompanied by the solitary deflection waves. These waves were used for investigation of generation and nonlinear dynamics of the antiferromagnetic vortices on a moving domain wall with the help of two- and three-fold digital high-speed photography and Faraday rotation in the orthoferrites plates cut perpendicular to the optical axis. The full velocity of antiferromagnetic vortex nonlinearly increases and saturates on the spin velocity level c. The vortices with smallest topological charges saturate earlier than with big one. The vortices velocity along the domain wall u increases up to the maximum and goes to the dependence u²+v²=c². Vortex dynamics is quasirelativistic on quasirelativistic domain wall. The theory of gyroscopic force in the domain wall of orthoferrites was elaborated by Zvezdin et al. and was confirmed our earlier experimental results.     

Dynamics of antiferromagnetic vortices in yttrium orthoferrite domain walls

The total velocity of solitary flexural waves nonlinearly increases with an increase in the velocity of domain walls and becomes saturated at a level of 20 km s^?1; the smaller the wave amplitude, the more rapidly saturation occurs. Counter collisions of solitary flexural waves lead to the formation of a single wave with a difference amplitude moving in the same direction as the wave with a larger amplitude. The experimental results confirm that solitary flexural waves accompany antiferromagnetic vortices at domain walls in yttrium orthoferrite.     

Reflection of antiferromagnetic vortices on a supersonic domain wall in yttrium orthoferrite

Reflection of solitary flexural waves propagating in a supersonic domain wall of yttrium orthoferrite from the domain wall part moving with the transverse-sound velocity is observed experimentally. This observation confirms that such a reflection of a solitary flexural wave leads to a change in the sign of the topological charge of the antiferromagnetic vortex accompanied by this wave, which proves a direct relationship between these two objects.     

Solitary flexural waves on a supersonic domain wall in yttrium orthoferrite

Solitary flexural waves on a supersonic domain wall in yttrium orthoferrite are observed and investigated. These waves have a sharp leading edge and a protracted trailing edge, reminiscent of the waves accompanying moving vertical Bloch lines in iron garnet films. The total velocity of the solitary flexural waves in yttrium orthoferrites for all observed amplitudes equals the maximum velocity of the domain walls. Two solitary waves with identical amplitudes colliding head-on are annihilated. The waves possess topological charges, and they move and form dynamic profiles under the influence of gyroscopic forces. Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 65, No. 10, 760–765 (25 May 1997)     

Gyroscopic force acting on the magnetic vortex in a weak ferromagnet

The gyroscopic (Magnus) force in weak ferromagnets acting on magnetic vortices when the domain walls move in the external magnetic field has been investigated. The general expressions for the gyroscopic force in weak ferromagnets are obtained. The particular calculation of the gyroscopic force in rhombic weak ferromagnets is performed using the method that allows one to calculate it neglecting the internal structure of a vortex in the domain wall. It is shown that the gyroscopic force for most types of domain walls is nonzero and is determined by the mean sublattice magnetization, the Dzyaloshinsky interaction constant, and the constant of the exchange interaction between the sublattices.     

Dynamics of a Néel domain wall with a fine structure in rare-earth orthoferrites

The dynamics of an isolated domain wall (DW) with a fine structure moving at a supersonic velocity in a rare-earth orthoferrite is studied. A set of nonlinear equations of motion of the center of a DW structure line is derived. A steady-state solution to these equations adequately describes the experimental data for yttrium orthoferrite. The effect of an external magnetic field on the steady-state velocity of a DW with structural lines is investigated.     

Neutron diffraction study of weak antiferromagnetism in ytterbium orthoferrite

The neutron diffraction studies were carried out on the single crystal of ytterbium orthoferrite at room temperature. The relative value of the weak antiferromagnetic component Ay/Gx (hidden canting of the iron spins) was found to be 1.59(7)· 10^?2 in agreement with the theory.     

Numerical simulation of magnetic interactions in polycrystalline YFeO3

The magnetic behavior of polycrystalline yttrium orthoferrite was studied from the experimental and theoretical points of view. Magnetization measurements up to 170 kOe were carried out on a single-phase YFeO₃ sample synthesized from heterobimetallic alkoxides. The complex interplay between weak-ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic interactions, observed in the experimental M(H) curves, was successfully simulated by locally minimizing the magnetic energy of two interacting Fe sublattices. The resulting values of exchange field (H_E=5590 kOe), anisotropy field (H_A=0.5 kOe) and Dzyaloshinsky–Moriya antisymmetric field (H_D=149 kOe) are in good agreement with previous reports on this system.     

Theory of static and dynamic antiferromagnetic vortices in LSCO superconductors

A key prediction of the SO(5) theory is the antiferromagnetic vortex state. Recent neutron scattering experiment on LSCO superconductors revealed enhanced antiferromagnetic order in the vortex state. Here we review theoretical progress since the original proposal and present a theory of static and dynamic antiferromanetic vortices in LSCO superconductors. It is shown that the antiferromagnetic region induced by the vortices can be greater than the coherence length, due to the light effective mass of the dynamic antiferromagnetic fluctuations at optimal doping, and close proximity to the antiferromagentic state in the underdoped regime. Systematic experiments are proposed to unambiguously determine that the field induced magnetic scattering originates from the vortices and not from the bulk.     

Effect of mechanical milling on the magnetic properties of garnets

Rare earth garnets after milling to nanosizes are found to decompose into rare earth orthoferrite and other rare earth and iron oxide phases. The magnetization for the yttrium iron garnet decreases in the nano state due to the formation of antiferromagnetic phases. But for the gadolinium iron garnet when milled up to 25 h, the room temperature magnetization increases despite the formation of antiferromagnetic and non-magnetic phases. This is attributed to the uncompensated moments of the sublattices because of the weakening of the superexchange interaction due to change in bond angles and the breaking of some superexchange bonds on account of the defects and oxygen vacancies introduced on milling. For the 10 h milled gadolinium iron garnet at 5 K, after correcting for the non-magnetic phases present, there is an increase in the magnetic moment of about 10% as compared to the value for the as-prepared garnet. The magnetic hyperfine fields corresponding to the various phases were measured using ⁵⁷Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy at 16 K. The isomer shift values indicate the loss of oxygen for the samples milled for larger duration.     

Electronic structure and improper electric polarization of samarium orthoferrite

The band structure and distributions of the electron and spin densities of samarium orthoferrite have been calculated within the framework of the first-principles density functional theory in the LSDA + U approximation taking into account the collinear antiferromagnetic ordering of the magnetic moments of iron and samarium cations. The possibility of inducing a ferroelectric state at temperatures below the antiferromagnetic ordering temperature of the magnetic sublattice formed by samarium cations has been considered using the results of the group-theoretical analysis. In the high-temperature range, the formation of regions with a spontaneous electric polarization is possible in the presence of additional factors that reduce the symmetry of the crystal.     

Excitation of bending vibration by a moving domain wall in a plate of yttrium orthoferrite

Elastic vibrations have been experimentally found induced by a moving domain wall in a sample of yttrium orthoferrite 10⁻⁴ m thick. Calculations have been carried out to suggest their relevance to flexural Lamb waves.     

Exchange coupling mechanism for magnetization reversal and thermal stability of Co nanoparticles embedded in a CoO matrix

A model providing a semi-quantitative account of the magnetic behavior of Co nanoparticles embedded in a CoO matrix is presented. The results confirm that exchange coupling at the interface between ferromagnetic (FM) and antiferromagnetic (AFM) nanostructures could provide an extra source of magnetic anisotropy, leading to thermal stability of the FM nanoparticles. It is shown that perpendicular coupling between the AFM and FM moments may result in large coercivities. The energy barrier, which works against reversal is due to the AFM susceptibility anisotropy. The experimentally observed exchange bias is tentatively ascribed to pre-existing intrinsic canting of the AFM moments at the interface.     

Observation of Bloch lines in yttrium orthoferrite

Utilizing the dark field method, parts of different brightness within domain walls of yttrium orthoferrite have been observed. Dark segments between these parts and the dependence of their positions on an applied magnetic field indicate the presence of Bloch lines.     

Dynamics of domain walls under the action of pulse and gradient magnetic fields in rare-earth orthoferrites

Experimental and theoretical investigations of solitary domain wall dynamics in an yttrium orthoferrite plate under the action of a pulse magnetic field were carried out. The investigations are performed under conditions in which the change in the gradient magnetic field is comparable to the magnitude of the pulse magnetic field shifting the domain walls when the latter are displaced from their equilibrium position.