Theory of spin waves in ferromagnetic (Ga,Mn)As

A. Werpachowska∗ and T. Dietl†

∗
Institute of Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences, al. Lotników 32/46, PL-02-668 Warsaw, Poland
†
Institute of Theoretical Physics, University of Warsaw, PL-00-681 Warsaw, Poland

Abstract. Theoretical description of spin waves in the p-d Zener model of a dilute magnetic semiconductor in Ref. [1]
allowed us to discover new effects resulting from spatial inversion asymmetries. In this paper, we focus on thin layers
and bulk crystals of (Ga,Mn)As, as described by the spds? tight-binding computational scheme. We demonstrate how
the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction in thin layers leads to the formation of a zero-temperature spin cycloid and the
accompanying uniaxial anisotropy of in-plane diagonal ([110]/[11̄0]) directions. We also investigate the exchange stiffness
with its anisotropic part, which accounts for the elliptical polarization of longitudinal spin waves—kinetically, their Lorentz
contraction in the direction of motion. Additionally, a model for the spin-wave contribution to magnetization and Curie
temperature is proposed. Our theory is applied and compared to relevant experimental data gathered during the recent years.
Keywords: spin waves, spin-wave stiffness, exchange interaction, Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction, uniaxial anisotropy, dilute magnetic
semiconductors
PACS: 75.50.Pp, 75.30.Ds, 75.30.Gw

Dilute magnetic semiconductors, like (Ga,Mn)As, are
a remarkable class of materials combining magnetic
and semiconductor properties, with potential applica-
tions for spintronics. The magnetic order in these sys-
tems results from the hole-mediated exchange interac-
tions between spins localized on transition metal impuri-
ties, as described by the p-d Zener model [2]. Thanks to
these strong interactions, we can replace the atomic pic-
ture with a continuous theory, where they are described
by a single exchange stiffness parameter A. The low-
lying nonuniform modes of the system magnetization are
called spin waves, excited at energy cost given by the
spin-wave stiffness tensor D = 2A/nS (where n is the
concentration of localized spins S).
The theory of spin waves in dilute magnetic semi-
conductors, allowing for the space inversion symmetry
breaking, was derived in our recent paper [1] (cf. [3]).
Here, we apply it to the p-d Zener model of (Ga,Mn)As.
The band structure is described by the spds? tight-
binding computational scheme, accounting for the bulk
inversion asymmetry in bulk crystals [4] and, addition-
ally, the asymmetry of the structure in thin films. Spin po-
larization of individual moments localized on Mn atoms
is replaced by a molecular field, which produces a spin-
splitting of the bands, ∆.
The new prominent feature of the spin-wave disper-
sion in (Ga,Mn)As thin films, which distinguishes it
from the case of a bulk system, is its minimum shift
to a non-zero ~qmin value (Fig. 1). It is a hallmark of
the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction, which favours a
cycloidal spin arrangement in zinc blende crystals and
reveals itself in the presence of the structure inversion
asymmetry. For further symmetry reasons, the strongest
frustration can be observed in samples grown in the [001]
direction, with the easy axis z̃ along an in-plane diago-
nal direction. Then, a spatial spin modulation with the
period λ = 2π /qmin occurs perpendicularly to z̃, which
accounts for the uniaxial in-plane anisotropy of diagonal
([110]/[11̄0]) directions. It could be measured by mag-
netic force microscopy or neutron scattering. The exper-
imental confirmation of this finding would suggest that
thin (Ga,Mn)As films could be considered topological
insulators that can support the quantum spin-Hall effect.
The minimum shift of the spin-wave dispersion van-
ishes in the bulk limit, which can be usually described by
an isotropic spin-wave stiffness constant D. We express
it as a dimensionless parameter
4(S + 1)kF2 D
Dnor = , (1)
kB TC
where kF = (3π 2 p)1/3 , p is the hole concentration and
TC is the Curie temperature. It is approximately 11 over
a wide range of Mn and hole concentrations. We compare
the obtained theoretical values with available experimen-
tal data determined from the temperature dependence of
magnetization [5], lamellar domain width [6] and from
spin-wave resonance measurements (e.g. [7]). We obtain
only partial agreement, which reemphasizes the role of
surface depletion and pining in dynamics of magnetiza-
tion precession in real samples.
Apart from the spin-wave stiffness and the related
exchange stiffness constants, which arise from the
isotropic part of the exchange interaction, we ana-
lyze the anisotropic stiffness tensor T induced by the
the spin-orbit coupling. It describes the dependence
of exchange energy on the crystalline orientation of
FIGURE 1. Spin-wave dispersion in a thin layer (two monolayers) of (Ga,Mn)As with the minimum shift ~qmin =
(0.43, −0.43) nm−1 and the emerging spin cycloid with the period λ = 10 nm.
FIGURE 2. Spin-wave polarization (exaggerated for clarity),
namely a shape traced out in a fixed plane by the spin vector
rotating around the magnetization easy axis z̃.
magnetization, which results in the deformation of
the spin-wave polarization, as demonstrated in Fig. 2.
Kinetically, it can be pictured as the Lorentz contraction
of longitudinal
p spin waves traveling with the velocity
v, b = a 1 − v2/c2 , where a and b are short and long
axes of the polarization ellipse and c is the speed of
light. Technically, this effect should average out for
spin waves propagating in different directions. However,
one can imagine a weak anisotropy arising from the
described effect in asymmetrically shaped samples,
where the largest number of similarly polarized modes
can exist along the longest dimension. It would then
be a candidate for an explanation of the weak uniaxial
anisotropy of the [100] and [010] main crystal axes
observed in some (Ga,Mn)As samples [8].
Finally, we calculate the spin-wave contribution to
temperature dependence of magnetization. We propose
a model which takes into account the correct number
of spin-wave excitations and thermal depolarization of
spins. The first is achieved by introducing a fictious mode
of zero energy, which is ‘occupied’ by the spin waves
which have not been excited in reality. In this way we
can treat the problem with classic Bose-Einstein conden-
sate methods: the total number of bosons is always 2NS
(N being the number of spins), their zero-energy mode
constitutes the ‘condensate’ phase, while the excited spin
waves constitute the ‘thermal cloud’. To achieve the
other feature, we describe spin waves as perturbations
of the thermal state of the lattice spins, not of the ground
state.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
A. W. acknowledges support by the President of Pol-
ish Academy of Sciences for doctoral students and EC
Network SemiSpinNet (PITN-GA-2008-215368), and
T. D. acknowledges support from the European Research
Council within the “Ideas” 7th Framework Programme
of the EC (FunDMS Advanced Grant).
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