Measurement and simulation of anisotropic magnetoresistance in single GaAs/MnAs core/shell nanowires

TL;DR

This study measures and simulates anisotropic magnetoresistance in single GaAs/MnAs nanowires, linking magnetoresistance behavior to magnetic properties and crystal structure, aiding characterization of hybrid nanostructures.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed measurement and simulation of anisotropic magnetoresistance in single GaAs/MnAs nanowires, revealing the influence of crystal structure on magnetic behavior.

Findings

Magnetoresistance signatures track magnetization changes.

Micromagnetic simulations match experimental data.

Crystal structure influences magnetoresistance characteristics.

Abstract

We report four probe measurements of the low field magnetoresistance in single core/shell GaAs/MnAs nanowires synthesized by molecular beam epitaxy, demonstrating clear signatures of anisotropic magnetoresistance that track the field-dependent magnetization. A comparison with micromagnetic simulations reveals that the principal characteristics of the magnetoresistance data can be unambiguously attributed to the nanowire segments with a zinc blende GaAs core. The direct correlation between magnetoresistance, magnetization and crystal structure provides a powerful means of characterizing individual hybrid ferromagnet/semiconductor nanostructures.