Nonconventional magnetic phenomena in neodymium thin film

Abstract

Neodymium is a remarkable active component in numerous magnetic alloys that are used in various applications. However, the application of a bare neodymium thin film is limited due to the lack of information about its electrical and magnetic properties. We report a synergistic study of an Nd thin film using experimental and theoretical techniques of polarized neutron reflectometry, magnetoresistance measurement, and density functional theory. Unlike bulk Nd, the thin film specimen is a very poor electrical conductor. Also, as grown, the thin film on silicon substrate does not exhibit any magnetism in a zero field. However, moderate in-plane field application of H = 1.2 T tends to induce weak magnetism in the system at a low temperature of T < 18 K, which coincides with an unusual cross-over behavior in magnetoresistance. The study provides important insight in the physical characteristics of the Nd thin film that are atypical for a magnetic system.