IRP7
theoretical project
Orbital currents for spin excitations and exchange interactions
Location
Mainz, Germany
Host institution
Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz (JGU) is a public research university. The Department of Physics of JGU is one of the largest and most highly ranked departments (top 5-10 in Germany, top 50-100 in recent rankings globally). It was ranked #1 in the German Research Foundation Research Funding Atlas both for physics overall and condensed matter physics in 2018 and again in 2021.
The Topological Nanoelectronics Group focuses on novel response and transport effects in complex magnetic systems ranging from interfaces of transition metals to skyrmions. We make extensive use of the predictive power of density functional theory as our main tool for investigating topological phases in real materials, thereby bridging the gap between experimental advances and progress in theoretical understanding of topological effects in realistic materials. As a result, we dedicate a large part of our activities to developing first-principles methodologies for addressing the electron and spin properties which are rooted in the topological nature of electrons in solids.
Supervisor
Prof. Yuriy Mokrousov
Description
The generation of orbital currents by an electric field is turning into an exciting avenue for possible applications of orbital physics. At the same time, the manipulation of the magnetization in magnetic materials via the mechanism of so-called orbital torques has come to occupy a major place in the research on magnetization switching owing to the high orbital torque efficiency and long-range character of orbital magnetoelectric coupling.
Despite a strong recent interest in orbital torques, the interplay of orbital currents with spin excitations, which may themselves inherently possess non-vanishing angular momentum, is not at all explored. The focus of the project lies in addressing the theoretical description of microscopic processes which govern the interaction of orbital currents with spin excitations and spin chirality, with an ultimate goal of sharpening our ability to manipulate the spin degree of freedom in solids subject to fluctuations.
The main tools and concepts to be used in the project are: density functional theory, Kubo linear response theory, modern approach to orbital magnetism in solids.
Requirements
- Master of Science in Physics
- Preferred : experience in programming languages
- Preferred : experience in computational physics / algorithms
- Preferred : knowledge of DFT / many-body physics
Planned Secondments
- Academic secondment at Uppsala Universitet, under the supervision of Peter Oppeneer,
- Industrial secondment at SIMUNE, under the supervision of Mónica García Mota
Planned Secondments
Academic Secondment
Uppsala Universitet (UU)
Uppsala, Sweden
Prof. Peter Oppeneer | Prof. Jan Rusz
Industrial Secondment
Simune Atomistics SL (SIMUNE)
Donostia / San Sebastián, Spain
Dr. Mónica García Mota
Registering University
Johannes Gutenberg Universität Mainz
