NSF Award
2213443
Abstract<br/><br/>This award is funded in whole or in part under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-2).<br/><br/>Non-Technical Description:<br/>This project directly supports the development of materials that possess topological spin textures, and investigate their formation, control mechanisms and properties. Topological spin textures are nanosized magnets found in certain classes of materials and can be used to produce energy-efficient, fast-paced, and reliable information storage, and transfer devices. Furthermore, the works performed through this project train undergraduate students from a historically underserved community in material synthesis and characterization techniques to prepare the next generation of a scientifically skilled workforce. The undergraduate students will be trained in all aspects of material physics research from conceptualization to publication so that they can serve as role models in their community. This research also supports the development of educational materials with high school science teachers serving majority underrepresented communities in the diverse metro Atlanta area. This project contributes to increasing the enrollment and retention of students from historically underserved communities in STEM education.<br/><br/>Technical Description:<br/>This LEAPS-MPS project focuses on understanding the role played by crystal symmetries and chemical constituents on the enhancement of the essential magnetic and spin-orbit interactions that lead to topological magnetism and the associated magnetoelectric behavior of non-centrosymmetric oxides. By taking the specific example of chiral MMoTeO6 (M=Mn, Co, Fe, Cu, Ni) and polar RTWO6 (R=Rare earth, T=Fe, Cr, V) oxides, this project investigates the following: (i) How do the topological character, size, and stability of spin textures vary with chemical compositions within the isostructural family of materials? (ii) Can ferroelectric polarization be associated with the spin textures and manipulated using an electric field? (iii) What are the quantitative and qualitative differences in the magnetoelectric behavior of polar and chiral materials? This work provides important insights into interactions responsible for the formation of novel topological spin textures and coupling of such spin structures to internal and external fields.<br/><br/>This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
