We studied the magnetic properties of atomic layer superlattices of (LaMnO3)N/(SrTiO3)N (N = 1,2,8) fabricated by ozone-assisted atomic layer-by-layer molecular beam epitaxy. Compared to a reference LaMnO3 thin film, the N = 8 superlattice exhibits enhanced magnetization, while the N = 1 and 2 superlattices exhibit suppressed magnetization. The onset temperature of the ferromagnetic transition is lowered in all superlattices. Moreover, the Brillouin function fits to the magnetic hysteresis curves indicate that the ground state of the superlattices consists of non-uniform spin interactions. The electric transport measurements suggest a very small variation of Mn valence (∼±0.015) that may not be enough to induce the observed large change in the magnetic property.

New optical absorption bands can be engineered by combining two different phases into a superlattice using atomic layer-by-layer molecular beam epitaxy as shown in the figure. Transitions from one layer to another occur at frequencies determined by the electronic structure of the component layers and how the energy levels of the two materials line up at the intrfaces.

This is a copy of the slides presented at the meeting but not formally written up for the volume. At heterojunctions between different oxide perovskite phases both lattice and electronic structure is modified by the junction. One interesting question that several groups have studied is just how far into the neighboring materials these perturbations extend. We have studied this for insulating phases as well as conducting phases. For insulating phases it appears that the lattice distortions are healed in a layer about one unit cell thick. By stacking different materials each of which is only a single unit cell thick we have obtained materials that exhibit new properties determined by the stacking architecture. For example, superlattices that lack inversion symmetry have a built-in polarization that is controlled by the direction of the strain asymmetry. For conducting phases, the electronic structure also seems to be modified mainly in a layer only a few unit cells thick. We have studied this in superlattices of SrTiO3 and LaMnO3 in which we vary the thickness of the layers. We use optical conductivity to probe the electronic structure in the near infrared to near ultraviolet spectral region. The conductivity is close to the average of the two constituents, but differs in certain spectral regions, especially for the films with the thinnest supercells.This work was supported by the Department of Energy Basic Energy Sciences program at the Fredrick Seitz Materials Research Laboratory at the University of Illinois, Urbana, IL.

An algebraic procedure is used to find exact and approximate eigenstates of two-charged particles in an oscillator potential. Relationship of this system with the quasi-exactly solvable ones is utilized to develop a perturbation theory, involving the Coulomb coupling. Single particle densities, for arbitrary m and information entropy densities are obtained analytically.

We present microscopic results on the giant tunneling magnetoresistance that arises from the nanoscale coexistence of ferromagnetic metallic (FMM) and antiferromagnetic insulating (AFI) clusters in a disordered two dimensional electron system with competing double exchange and superexchange interactions. Our Monte Carlo study allows us to map out the different field regimes in magnetotransport and correlate it with the evolution of spatial structures. At coexistence, the isotropic O(3) model shows signs of slow relaxation, and has a high density of low energy metastable states, but no genuine glassiness. However, in the presence of weak magnetic anisotropy, and below a field dependent irreversibility temperature T_irr, the response on field cooling (FC) differs distinctly from that on zero field cooling (ZFC). We map out the phase diagram of this `phase coexistence glass', highlight how its response differs from that of a standard spin glass, and compare our results with data on the manganites.

We provide an algebraic procedure to find the eigenstates of two-charged particles in an oscillator potential, known as {\it{Hooke's}} atom. For the planar Hooke's atom, the exact eigenstates and single particle densities for arbitrary azimuthal quantum number, are obtained analytically. Information entropies associated with the wave functions for the relative motion are then studied systematically, since the same incorporates the effect of the Coulomb interaction. The {\it{quantum pottery}} of the information entropy density reveals a number of intricate structures, which differ significantly for the attractive and repulsive cases. We indicate the procedure to obtain the approximate eigen states. Making use of the relationship of this dynamical system with the quasi-exactly solvable systems, one can also develop a suitable perturbation theory, involving the Coulomb coupling $Z$, for the approximate wave functions.