Trends in Magnetism From Strong Correlations to “-onics” Technology

Abstract: Despite of enormous progress in experimental nanophysics theoretical studies of low-dimensional electron systems still remains a challenging task. Indeed, most of the structures are strongly correlated, so that an effective perturbative treatment is impossible due to the lack of a small parameter. The problem can be partly solved within the dynamical mean-field theory (DMFT) paradigm, nevertheless the correlations in physically relevant high-temperature superconductors are of purely non-local nature. The recently developed dual fermion approximation, combining field-theoretical diagram technique and numerical methods, allows for explicit account of spatial correlations. The approximation was shown to be of fastest convergence compared with standard DMFT extensions, and along with renormalization group is used here to study Fermi condensation on a triangular lattice near van Hove singularities. The still debated phenomenon of Fermi condensation is believed to be a precursor to strongly correlated low-temperature instability and is found in this thesis to be robust even at high temperature, making its experimental verification feasible. Unlike homogeneous ferromagnetic ordering a variety of non-collinear ground state configurations emerge as a result of competition among exchange, anisotropy, and dipole-dipole interaction. These particle-like states, e.g. magnetic soliton, skyrmion, domain wall, form a spatially localized clot of magnetic energy. Consistent study of spin, which essentially is a quantum mechanical entity, led to the emergence of spintronics (spin-based electronics) and magnonics (photonics with spin waves), in the meanwhile topologically protected magnetic solitons and skyrmions might potentially be applied for data processing and information storage in next generation of electronic technology (rapidly advancing solitonics and skyrmionics). An ability to easily create, address, and manipulate such structures is among the prerequisite forming a basis of "-onics" technology. It is shown here that spins on a kagome lattice, interacting via Heisenberg exchange and Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya coupling, allow the formation of topologically protected edge states through which a skyrmion can propagate. Not only can chemical methods be used to design novel functionality, but also geometric structuring. It is demonstrated that for graphene sandwiched between two insulating media external circularly-polarized light serves as an effective magnetic field. The direct practical implication permits to control light polarization and induce spin-waves propagating on the surface of e.g. a topological insulator. The newly discovered Dirac materials, graphene and three-dimensional topological insulators, are not easy to handle. In fact, the quasiparticle band function is gapless preventing them from being used in integrated circuits, nevertheless the problem is shown here to be partially relaxed by placing a vacancy on top of it.