0000000000542166
AUTHOR
E. Arbelo Jorge
Temperature dependence of x-ray absorption spectra in the ferromagnetic Heusler alloysMn2VAlandCo2FeAl
We investigate the temperature dependence of the spin-resolved unoccupied density of states (DOS) in ferromagnetic ${\text{Co}}_{2}\text{FeAl}$ and ferrimagnetic ${\text{Mn}}_{2}\text{VAl}$ epitaxial films on MgO(100) using x-ray magnetic circular dichroism. We observe an unexpected strong temperature dependence of the DOS beyond the change expected from the Fermi distribution function. An increase in spectral weight is observed for majority states below the Fermi energy in the case of ${\text{Mn}}_{2}\text{VAl}$ and for minority states above the Fermi energy in the case of ${\text{Co}}_{2}\text{FeAl}$. Reduced atomic order near the interface suppresses the unexpected temperature dependence…
Test of band structure calculations for Heusler compounds by spin-resolved photoemission spectroscopy
The electronic density of states of epitaxial thin films of the Heusler compound Co${}_{2}$MnGa is probed in situ by spin-resolved ultraviolet photoemission spectroscopy. The experiments reveal several characteristic features in the intensity spectrum and a clear Fermi edge signature. A high spin polarization of $\ensuremath{\simeq}\phantom{\rule{-0.16em}{0ex}}55%$ at the Fermi edge is followed by a sign change at the binding energy of $\ensuremath{\simeq}$0.8 eV. Corresponding calculations of the band structure and the photoemission spectrum were performed employing a spin-polarized relativistic Korringa-Kohn-Rostoker code. Good agreement between the experimental data and calculations was …
Spin-resolved unoccupied density of states in epitaxial Heusler-alloy films
We investigate the electronic properties of epitaxial ${\text{Co}}_{2}({\text{Fe}}_{x}{\text{Mn}}_{1\ensuremath{-}x})\text{Si}$, ${\text{Co}}_{2}\text{Fe}({\text{Al}}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}{\text{Si}}_{x})$, and ${\text{Co}}_{2}({\text{Cr}}_{0.6}{\text{Fe}}_{0.4})\text{Al}$ films on MgO(100) substrates using circular dichroism in x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XMCD). Considering final-state electron correlations, the spin-resolved partial density of states at the Co atom can be extracted from XMCD data. The experimental results corroborate the predicted half-metallic ferromagnetic properties of these alloys and reveal a compositional dependence of the Fermi energy position within the minority b…
Element-specific ferromagnetic resonance in epitaxial Heusler spin valve systems
Time-resolved x-ray magnetic circular dichroism was used to investigate epitaxial MgO(100)/Co2Cr0.6Fe0.4Al and MgO(100)/Co2Cr0.6Fe0.4Al/Cr/CoFe films. The precessional motion of the individual sublattice magnetization, excited by continuous microwave excitation in the range 2–10 GHz, was detected by tuning the x-ray photon energy to the L 3 absorption edges of Cr, Fe and Co. The relative phase angle of the sublattice magnetization's response is smaller than the detection limit of 2°. A weakly antiferromagnetically coupled CoFe layer causes an increase in the ferromagnetic resonance linewidth consisting of a constant offset and a component linearly increasing with frequency that we partly at…