I am a senior at Peking University, majoring in Physics. I worked in Prof. Kawakami’s group from August 22nd 2016 to October 22nd 2016 as a visiting scholar. It is a really exciting and rewarding experience to be a member in Prof. Kawakami’s group.
I participated in the research on spin-orbit torque, a torque on the magnetization generated by spin Hall effect or Rashba spin-orbit coupling, and focused on the magnetic anisotropy of the Fe in a multilayer structure, which is crucial for the design of the devices for spin-orbit torque, since the anisotropy also acts like a torque on the magnetization and affects how large the spin orbit torque is enough to switch the magnetization.
The technique employed in the research is based on magneto optical Kerr effect. When an incident linearly polarized light is reflected by a magnetized surface, the polarization of the light will be changed to be slightly elliptical and the long axis of the elliptical rotate a small angle, which is proportional to the magnetization. In the experiment, this angle is measured to obtain the magnetization curve of the Fe in the structure that I mentioned above.
Outside the lab, I enjoy skiing, watching drama, and playing harmonica.
Team | Songsheng Tao