Thanks to the hard work and dedication of multidisciplinary teams from groups across the ALS, a spate of important milestones occurred over the past month, for projects involving the new QERLIN beamline, the MERLIN beamline upgrade, and a new chamber for computer-chip metrology in Sector 12. Read more »
A Novel Staircase Pattern in Spin-Stripe Periodicity
Striped patterns of spins in a magnetic thin film were found to evolve under an applied magnetic field in steps reminiscent of a structure known as the “Devil’s Staircase.” Such studies are valuable for understanding competing interactions at the atomic level for applications such as magnetic sensors and spintronic devices. Read more »
Percolating Puddles in Rich Quantum Landscapes
Combining x-ray photon correlation spectroscopy (XPCS) with scanning micro x-ray diffraction (SµXRD), researchers found that charge density wave domains (known as “puddles”) in a nickelate material exhibit two types of dynamics: small puddles actively “percolate” (fluctuate in size and shape), while large puddles are more static. Read more »
Artificial Antiferromagnets Facilitate Studies of Domain-Wall Motion
Researchers fabricated artificial spin lattices that undergo a paramagnetic-to-antiferromagnetic phase transition. These artificial antiferromagnets enable studies of dynamical properties that are critical to understanding, and ultimately implementing, real-world applications such as advanced computing and data-storage technologies. Read more »
A Crackling Analysis of Stripe and Skyrmion Phases
Through statistical analysis of “crackling” (a system’s jerky response to slowly changing conditions), researchers demonstrated fundamental differences between skyrmion and stripe phases in a layered heterostructure. The method has broad applicability to many complex materials of interest for emerging information technologies. Read more »
A New Twist in Soft X-Ray Beams
Visible-light beams with orbital angular momentum (OAM) have been used in applications ranging from communications and imaging to particle manipulation. Now, researchers have generated high-quality OAM beams in the soft x-ray regime, with intriguing possibilities for future use at high-coherence, diffraction-limited light sources. Read more »
Skyrmion Behavior Revealed by Two X-Ray Studies
Two research groups have recently published separate studies in which soft x-rays reveal how skyrmions—quasiparticles made up of spin vortices—react to external fields. Their work lays the foundation for understanding these fascinating constructs and eventually utilizing them in spintronic applications. Read more »
