Mikhail Platunov

My research interests are in the study of phases and phase transitions in low dimensional strongly interacting electron systems, including local atomic structure transitions and magnetism. I am currently working on the oxyborate single crystals (ludwigites, warwickites, kotoites, pyroborates etc.), that is a particularly intriguing class of oxides that displays a rich variety of electronic, structural and magnetic phases. Nowadays it is well known that low structural and magnetic dimensionality plays an important role in the physics of magnetic crystals. The experimental and theoretical investigations have revealed properties of the materials with low dimensionality to be quite different from their bulk analogues. This difference expresses, first of all, in the rich variety of phases and phase transitions caused by high degree of degeneration and extraordinary sensitivity to external influences. From this point of view the borates of transition and rare-earth metals with quasi-low dimension crystal structure and unique magnetic and optic properties are the perspective objects for the fundamental and practical investigations. These materials form a wide class of narrow-band oxide semiconductors intensely researched during the last years. Strong electron correlations attract the additional attention to this class of materials. My second research work is aimed at studying the Fe/Si magnetic structures. In recent years the interest to Fe/Si magnetic structures has increased in view of their unique physical properties and prospects for practical applications, in particular, for electronics and spintronics. The transport of spin-polarized electrons across a ferromagnetic/semiconductor interface with Si semiconductor layer is interesting for spintronics because it gives the possibility to integrate the spin degree of freedom into Si-based technology. I'm interested in the following effects: spin transfer torque magnetoresistive random access memory (STT-MRAM); spin Logic; thin-film magnetism; magnetoresistance effects (ballistic, giant, anisotropic, tunneling); magnetic sensors; ultra-high-density data storage media; spintronics; molecular beam and magnetron deposition of magnetic thin films; thin film growth morphology; interfacial reactions between metals; applications of transmission electron microscopy; structure and magnetism of low-dimensional systems. The experimental tools that I most commonly employ are X-ray absorption (XAFS, XMCD and X-ray linear dichroic XAS), X-ray diffraction, magnetic measurements (VSM, SQUID), resistivity and magnetoresistivity measurements, optical measurements (Raman spectroscopy) etc.