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Clustering techniques have been the key drivers of data mining, machine learning and pattern recognition for decades. One of the most popular clustering algorithms is DBSCAN due to its high accuracy and noise tolerance. Many superior algorithms such as DBSCAN have input parameters that are hard to estimate. Therefore, finding those parameters is a time consuming process. In this paper, we propose a novel clustering algorithm Bacteria-Farm, which balances the performance and ease of finding the optimal parameters for clustering. Bacteria- Farm algorithm is inspired by the growth of bacteria in closed experimental farms - their ability to consume food and grow - which closely represents the ideal cluster growth desired in clustering algorithms. In addition, the algorithm features a modular design to allow the creation of versions of the algorithm for specific tasks / distributions of data. In contrast with other clustering algorithms, our algorithm also has a provision to specify the amount of noise to be excluded during clustering., Comment: Presented at International Conference for Machine Learning and Data Science 2018

A perspective magneto-thermo-electric cooling device (MTECD) comprising a central magnetocaloric (MC) material (e.g., Gd) sandwiched by two thermoelectric (TE) materials (e.g., MnP) is proposed. The presence of the TE materials in the MTECD guides the heat flow direction and enhances heat pulsation. In this case, the usage of a ferromagnetic TE material that combines large TE with small MC properties within a similar temperature region can enhance the magnetic flux density and heat exchange efficiency. Here, we show that MnP nanorod-structured films with desired magnetic, MC and TE properties are very promising for use in MTECDs. The films were grown on Si substrates at 300, 400 and 500{\deg}C using molecular beam epitaxy. The 400 oC sample shows a desired TE and MC combination. A large power factor of 24.06 {\mu}W m-1 K-2 is achieved at room temperature. In this temperature region, the film exhibits a small MC effect (-deltaSM ~0.64 J/kg K and deltaTad ~0.3 K at m0H = 2 T) but ferromagnetism that gives rise to the enhanced MC effect of the central MC material. These properties could enable the MTECD to operate at high frequency., Comment: Accepted in Physics Status Solidi A

An approach to adjusting the conduction band population for tuning the magnetic and magnetocaloric response of EuO1-{\delta} thin films through control of oxygen vacancies ({\delta} = 0, 0.025, and 0.09) is presented. The films each showed a paramagnetic to ferromagnetic transition around 65 K, with an additional magnetic ordering transition at higher temperatures in the oxygen deficient samples. All transitions are observed to be of second order. A maximum magnetic entropy change of 6.4 J/kg K over a field change of 2 T with a refrigerant capacity of 223 J/kg was found in the sample with {\delta} = 0, and in all cases the refrigerant capacities of the thin films under study were found to exceed that reported for bulk EuO. Adjusting the oxygen content was shown to produce table-like magnetocaloric effects, desirable for ideal Ericsson-cycle magnetic refrigeration. These films are thus excellent candidates for small-scale magnetic cooling technology in the liquid nitrogen temperature range.

We report on a novel class of nanocrystalline/amorphous Gd$_3$Ni/Gd$_{65}$Ni$_{35}$ composite microwires, which was created directly by melt-extraction through controlled solidification. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) confirmed the formation of a biphase nanocrystalline/amorphous structure in these wires. Magnetic and magnetocaloric experiments indicate the large magnetic entropy change (-$\Delta$SM ~9.64 J/kg K) and the large refrigerant capacity (RC ~742.1 J/kg) around the Curie temperature of ~120 K for a field change of 5 T. These values are ~1.5 times larger relative to its bulk counterpart, and are superior to other candidate materials being considered for active magnetic refrigeration in the liquid nitrogen temperature range.

We report on the anomalous magnetization dynamics of the cycloidally-modulated spin textures under the influence of uniaxial anisotropy in multiferroic $\mathrm{GaV_4S_8}$. The temperature and field dependence of the linear ac susceptibility [$\chi_{1\omega}^{\prime}(T,H)$], ac magnetic loss [$\chi_{1\omega}^{\prime\prime}(T,H)$], and nonlinear ac magnetic response [$M_{3\omega}(T,H)$] are examined across the magnetic phase diagram in the frequency range $f = 10-10000$ Hz. According to recent theory, skyrmion vortices under axial crystal symmetry are confined along specific orientations, resulting in enhanced robustness against oblique magnetic fields and altered spin dynamics. We characterize the magnetic response of each spin texture and find that the dynamic rigidity of the N\'eel skyrmion lattice appears enhanced compared to Bloch-type skyrmions in cubic systems, even in the multidomain state. Anomalous $M_{3\omega}$ and strong dissipation emerge over the same phase regime where strong variations in the cycloid pitch were observed on lowering temperature in recent small-angle neutron scattering experiments [White et al., Phys. Rev. B 97, 020401(R) (2018)]. Here, we show that strong anisotropy also drives an extended crossover of the zero-field cycloid texture in $\mathrm{GaV_4S_8}$. The frequency dependence of these dynamic signatures is consistent with that of a robust anharmonic spin texture exhibiting a correlated domain arrangement. The results underpin the essential role of magnetic anisotropy in enhancing the rigidity of topological spin textures for diverse applications., Comment: 12 pages, 9 figures, minor figure corrections, expanded explanations in Secs. I & IIIB.,C

Interfacing an organic semiconductor C60 with a non-magnetic metallic thin film (Cu or Pt) has created a novel heterostructure that is ferromagnetic at ambient temperature, while its interface with a magnetic metal (Fe or Co) can tune the anisotropic magnetic surface property of the material. Here, we demonstrate that sandwiching C60 in between a magnetic insulator (Y3Fe5O12: YIG) and a non-magnetic, strong spin-orbit metal (Pt) promotes highly efficient spin current transport via the thermally driven spin Seebeck effect (SSE). Experiments and first principles calculations consistently show that the presence of C60 reduces significantly the conductivity mismatch between YIG and Pt and the surface perpendicular magnetic anisotropy of YIG, giving rise to enhanced spin mixing conductance across YIG/C60/Pt interfaces. As a result, a 600% increase in the SSE voltage (VLSSE) has been realized in YIG/C60/Pt relative to YIG/Pt. Temperature-dependent SSE voltage measurements on YIG/C60/Pt with varying C60 layer thicknesses also show an exponential increase in VLSSE at low temperatures below 200 K, resembling the temperature evolution of spin diffusion length of C60. Our study emphasizes the important roles of the magnetic anisotropy and the spin diffusion length of the intermediate layer in the SSE in YIG/C60/Pt structures, providing a new pathway for developing novel spin-caloric materials.

We present a comprehensive study on the magnetic structure, dynamics, and phase evolution in the single-phase double perovskite $La_2CoMnO_6$. The mixed valence state due to oxygen deficiency is verified by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and confirms a double ferromagnetic transition observed in DC magnetization. Neutron diffraction reveals that the magnetic structure is dominated by long-range ferromagnetic ordering, which is further corroborated by a critical exponents analysis of the paramagnetic to ferromagnetic phase transition. An analysis of the magnetization dynamics by means of linear and nonlinear ac magnetic susceptibilities marks the presence of two distinct cluster glass-like states that emerge at low temperatures. The isothermal entropy change as a function of temperature and magnetic field (H) is exploited to investigate the mechanism of stabilization of the magnetic phases across the H-T phase diagram. In the regime of the phase diagram where thermal energy is sufficiently low, regions of competing interactions due to local disorder become stabilized and display glass-like dynamics. The freezing mechanism of clusters is illustrated using a unique probe of transverse susceptibility that isolates the effects of the local anisotropy of the spin clusters. The results are summarized in a new H-T phase diagram of $La_2CoMnO_6$ revealed for the first time from these data., Comment: 40 pages, 10 figures

We report exchange bias (EB) effect in the Au-Fe3O4 composite nanoparticle system, where one or more Fe3O4 nanoparticles are attached to an Au seed particle forming dimer and cluster morphologies, with the clusters showing much stronger EB in comparison with the dimers. The EB effect develops due to the presence of stress in the Au-Fe3O4 interface which leads to the generation of highly disordered, anisotropic surface spins in the Fe3O4 particle. The EB effect is lost with the removal of the interfacial stress. Our atomistic Monte-Carlo studies are in excellent agreement with the experimental results. These results show a new path towards tuning EB in nanostructures, namely controllably creating interfacial stress, and open up the possibility of tuning the anisotropic properties of biocompatible nanoparticles via a controllable exchange coupling mechanism., Comment: 28 pages, 6 figures, submitted to Nanotechnology

We report here the growth and characterization of functional oxide nanowire of hole doped manganite of La0.5Sr0.5MnO3 (LSMO). We also report four probe electrical resistance measurement of single nanowire of LSMO (diameter ~ 45nm) using FIB fabricated electrodes. The wires were fabricated by hydrothermal method using autoclave at a temperature of 270 oC. The elemental analysis and physical property like electrical resistivity were studied at individual nanowire level. The quantitative determination of Mn valency and elemental mapping of constituent elements was done by using Electron Energy Loss Spectroscopy (EELS) in the Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy (STEM) mode. We addressed the important issue of whether as a result of size reduction the nanowires can retain the desired composition, structure and physical properties. The nanowires used were found to have a ferromagnetic transition (TC) at around 325 K which is very close to the bulk value of around 330 K found in single crystal of the same composition confirming that the functional behavior is likely to be retained even after size reduction of the nanowires to a diameter of 45 nm. The electrical resistivity shows insulating behavior within the temperature range measured, which is very much similar to the bulk system., Comment: 11 pages, 7 figures, accepted in Journal of Nanomaterials

In an effort to understand the impact of nanostructuring on the magnetocaloric effect, we have grown and studied gadolinium in MgO/W(50 $\textrm{\AA}$)/[Gd(400 $\textrm{\AA}$)/W(50 $\textrm{\AA}$)]$_8$ heterostructures. The entropy change associated with the second order magnetic phase transition was determined from the isothermal magnetization for numerous temperatures and the appropriate Maxwell relation. The entropy change peaks at a temperature of 284 K with a value of approximately 3.4 J/kg-K for a 0-30 kOe field change; the full width at half max of the entropy change peak is about 70 K, which is significantly wider than that of bulk Gd under similar conditions. The relative cooling power of this nanoscale system is about 240 J/kg, somewhat lower than that of bulk Gd (410 J/kg). An iterative Kovel-Fisher method was used to determine the critical exponents governing the phase transition to be $\beta=0.51$, and $\gamma=1.75$. Along with a suppressed Curie temperature relative to the bulk, the fact that the convergent value of $\gamma$ is that predicted by the 2-D Ising model may suggest that finite size effects play an important role in this system. Together, these observations suggest that nanostructuring may be a promising route to tailoring the magnetocaloric response of materials.

We report the synthesis and properties of two new insulating phases of SrFeO3-d with introduction of oxygen deficiencies in metallic SrFeO3 ; one with 0.15 < d < 0.19 (sample A)and the other above d = 0.19 (sample B). Sample A shows large negative magnetoresistance around the charged ordering (CO) temperature with magnetic anomalies seen in the temperature dependent resistivity,magnetization and M-H hysteresis loops. Sample B shows a smooth insulating behavior with no thermal hysteresis in the resistivity and with a small positive magnetoresistance. cac and cdc show multiple features associated with a frustrated magnetic order (helical) due to competing ferro- and antiferromagnetic interactions. The competing effects of ferro- and antiferromagnetic phases extend up to T ~ 230 K revealing a new high temperature scale in this system. These observations are discussed in the context of magnetic interactions associated with the varying Fe4+/Fe3+ ratio., Comment: 11 pages, 4 figures

We present a systematic analysis of point-contact Andreev reflection (PCAR) spectra for ferromagnetic materials, using both modeling and experimental data. We consider the relationship between ballistic and diffusive transport, the effect of different transport regimes on spin polarization measurements, and the importance of unambiguous identification of the type of transport regime. We find that in a realistic parameter range, the analysis of PCAR spectra of purely diffusive character by a ballistic model yield approximately the same (within ~3%) values of the spin polarization and the barrier strength Z larger by ~ 0.5-0.6. We also consider the dependence of polarization values on Z, and have shown by simple modeling that letting the superconducting gap vary as an adjustable parameter can result in a spurious dependence of the spin-polarization Pc on Z. At the same time we analyzed the effects of finite Z on the apparent value of Pc measured by the PCAR technique, using a large number of examples from both our own measurements and from the literature. We conclude that there is a system-dependent variation in Pc (Z), presumably due to spin-flip scattering at the interface. However, the exact type of this dependence is hard to determine with any statistical certainty., Comment: 6 Figures

A sensitive tunnel diode oscillator (TDO) operating at 4MHz is used to probe the dynamic response of La_{1-x}Sr_{x}MnO_{3} single crystals for x=0.125,0.175,0.28 and 0.33 doping. Systematics of the measured change in reactance as a function of temperature (30K

The magneto-impedance (MI) of glass-coated Fe-Ni-Cu microwires was investigated for longitudinal radio-frequency (RF) currents up to a frequency of 200 MHz using an RF lock-in amplifier method. The MI, defined as DZ/Z = [Z(H)-Z(H=0.3T)]/Z(H=0.3T), displays a peak structure (negative MI) at zero field for RF currents with frequencies less than 20MHz and this crosses over to a sharp dip (positive MI) at higher frequencies. This crossover behavior is ascribed to the skin-depth-limited response primarily governed by the field-dependence of the permeability. Large saturation fields (300 to 600 Oe) and other anomalies indicate the possible influence of giant magneto-resistance (GMR) on the MI., Comment: 3 pages, 2-column, 3 figures. To be published in J. Appl. Phys. 2000 (44th MMM conference proceedings)

A novel resonant method based on a tunnel-diode oscillator (TDO) is used to study the dynamic transverse susceptibility in a Fe nanoparticle system. The magnetic system consists of an aggregate of nanometer-size core (Au)-shell (Fe) structure, synthesized by reverse micelle methods. Static and dynamic magnetization measurements carried out in order to characterize the system reveal a superparamagnetic behavior at high temperature. The field-dependent transverse susceptibility at radio-frequencies (RF), for different temperatures reveals distinct peak structure at characteristics fields (H_k, H_c) which changes with temperature. It is proposed that relaxation processes could explain the influence of the temperature on the field dependence of the transverse susceptibility on the MI., Comment: 3 pages, 2-column, 3 figures, To be published in J. Appl. Phys. 2000 (44th Annual MMM proceedings)

A precision radio-frequency (RF) transverse modulation technique based on a resonant tunnel diode oscillator (TDO) has been used to study the dynamic susceptibility in novel ring-shaped single domain Fe nanoparticles synthesized using reverse-micelle chemistry. Hysteresis loops measured using a SQUID magnetometer indicate a large coercivity (Hc = 400Oe) below the blocking temperature (TB ~52K). The dynamic susceptibility shows remarkable consistency with the M-H data and exhibits peaks at characteristic anisotropy fields. Overall, these RF experiments are well suited to probe the magnetic anisotropy in nanophase materials., Comment: PDF file, 4 pages, 5 figures, 1 color figure

A resonant method based on a tunnel-diode oscillator (TDO) for precision measurements of relative impedance changes in materials, is described. The system consists of an effective self-resonant LC-tank circuit driven by a forward-biased tunnel diode operating in its negative resistance region. Samples under investigation are placed in the core of an inductive coil and impedance changes are determined directly from the measured shift in resonance frequency. A customized low temperature insert is used to integrate this experiment with a commercial Model 6000 Physical Property Measurement System (Quantum Design). Test measurements on a manganese-based perovskite sample exhibiting colossal magneto-resistance (CMR) indicate that this method is well suited to study the magneto-impedance in these materials., Comment: Rev. Sci. Instrum. (in press), PDF file, 6 pages, 2-column, embedded figures

Investigating LaNi(1-x)M(x)O3 (M = Mn and Fe), we identify a characteristic evolution of the spectral function with increasing disorder in presence of strong interaction effects across the metal-insulator transition. We discuss these results vis-a-vis existing theories of electronic structure in simultaneous presence of disorder and interaction., Comment: Revtex, 4 pages, 3 postscript figures (To appear in Phys. Rev. Lett)

The radio frequency (RF) response of La1-xSrxMnO3 single crystals reveal a variety of features associated with the structural, electronic and magnetic properties of the system. The resonance technique operating at ~ 4 MHz employed in this study is sensitive to small changes in both the magnetic susceptibility and resistivity of the samples. Very sharp changes in frequency are observed at the ferromagnetic (FM) and structural phase transitions in both the metallic (x = 0.175) and insulating (0.125) crystals studied. In addition to the known transitions identified as FM and orthorhombic distortions, our experiments show rich structures which are not observed in conventional DC magnetization and transport experiments. Our results demonstrate that RF experiments are ideally suited to investigate the complex phase diagram in the manganites. The colossal frequency change that we observe at the FM transition in the La1-xSrxMnO3 crystals is indicative of the enormous potential for using these materials in high frequency switching applications., Comment: Submitted to 1997 MRS fall meeting Proceedings, HTML, Paper also available at http://sagar.physics.neu.edu/preprints.html