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Beamteam Research Group

Current Affiliation

  • Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin for Materials and Energy (Freie Universität Berlin (Berlin, Germany).

Projects

1. Strongly correlated materials

  • Heusler alloys
  • Rare-earth magnets
  • Chalcogenides
  • Spinels

Research of magnetic materials, particularly those compounds formed from transition metals (TM), using X-ray Spectroscopy combined with ultra soft x-ray synchrotron radiation. Band structure and coupled magnetic properties of these materials are determined mostly by the behavior of 3d electrons of TM. Resonant X-ray Inelastic Scattering can provide information about magnetic properties, which are determined by the chemical makeup of the compound as well as by the metal’s local electronic structure. The solution of this fundamental scientific problem is strongly bounded to creation of spin-transistors for emerging spintronic applications where TM ferromagnets are to be used in spin-valves.

2. X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometer 

We are currently developing the specifications for our X-ray Emission spectrometer at our future Resonant Elastic and Inelastic Scatteringbeamline (REIXS) at the Canadian Light Source. At this point, we have completed the analysis of the available spectrometers by combining theoretical calculations with practical information from manufactures and users in order to find the optimal instrument for our needs. Presently we are finalizing the design of the optical layout selecting from many possible configurations the most reliable. More information is available at Mark Boots and David Muir pages.

3. Silicon ceramics (continuation of Sam Leitch's project)

4. Liquids (M-DNA with Janay MacNaughton)

Primary tool

We use linearly polarized light of the Advanced Light Source to do the measurements at beamline 8.0.1. For magnetic materials it is perspective to utilize circularly polarized X-rays and phenomena of Magnetic Circular Dichroism using dedicated REIXS beamline at the CLS

Publications

  • 1. Charge transfer and band gap of ferrocene intercalated into TiSe2 A.N. Titov, Y.M. Yarmoshenko, P. Bazylewski, M.V. Yablonskikh, E.Z. Kurmaev, R. Wilks, A. Moewes, V.A. Tsurin, V.V. Fedorenko, O.N. Suvorova, S.Yu. Ketkov, M. Neumann, and G.S. Chang, Chem. Phys. Lett. 497, 187-190 (2010). 

  • 2. Characterization of oxide layers formed on chemically treated Ti by using soft X-ray absorption measurements R.G. Wilks, E.Z. Kurmaev, E. Santos, M.V. Yablonskikh, A. Moewes, N.K. Kuromoto, and G.A. Soares, J. Electr. Spectr. Rel. Phen. 169, 46-50 (2009). 

  • 3. Determining the sp2/sp3 bonding concentrations of carbon films using X-ray absorption spectroscopy T. Hamilton, R.G. Wilks, M.V. Yablonskikh, Q. Yang, M. Foursa, A. Hirose, V.N. Vasilets, and A. Moewes (submitted to Cand. J. Phys. 86, 1401-1407 (2008). 

  • 4. Local electronic structure of Mn dopants in ZnO probed by resonant inelastic scattering G.S. Chang, E.Z. Kurmaev, S.W. Jung, H.-J. Kim, G.-C. Yi, S.-I. Lee, M.V. Yablonskikh, T.M. Pedersen, A. Moewes, and L.D. Finkelstein, J. Phys.: Cond. Mat. 19, 276210-1-8 (2007). 

  • 5. Optical XAFS of ZnO Nanowires at the Zn K-edge and Related Phenomena F. Heigl, X.H. Jeff Sun, S. Lam, T.-K. Sham, R. Gordon, D. Brewe, R. Rosenberg, G. Shenoy, M. Yablonskikh, J. MacNaughton, and A. Moewes, CP 882 X-ray Absorption Fine Structure – XAFS13, American Institute of Physics, 734-736 (2007). 

  • 6. Solid versus solution: Examining the electronic structure of metallic DNA with soft x-ray spectroscopy and density functional theory J.B. MacNaughton, M.V. Yablonskikh, A.H. Hunt, E.Z. Kurmaev, J.S. Lee, S.D. Wettig, and A. Moewes, Phys. Rev. B 74, 125101-1-5 (2006). 

  • 7. X-ray 2p photoelectron and Lα resonant X-ray emission spectra of the 3d metals in Ni2MnIn (Z=In, Sn, Sb) Heusler alloys M.V. Yablonskikh, A. Moewes, J. Braun, M.T. Kuchel, A.V. Postnikov, M. Neumann, J.D. Denlinger, and E.I. Shreder, Phys. Rev. B 74, 085103-1-11 (2006). 

  • 8. On the bonding situation in TlCo2Se2 M.V. Yablonskikh, R. Berger, U. Gelius, R. Lizarraga, T.B. Charikova, and E.Z. Kurmaev, and A. Moewes, J. Phys. Cond. Matt. 18, 1757-1768 (2006). 

  • 9. Influence of Graphite Addition on the Reactivity of Ti Powder with H2 under Ball Milling C. Borchers, T.I. Khomenko, O.S. Morozova, A.V. Galakhov, E.Z. Kurmaev, J. MacNaughton, M.V. Yablonskikh, and A. Moewes, J. Phys. Chem. B 110, 196-204 (2006). 

  • 10. Ion irradiation induced reduction of Fe3+ to Fe2+ and Fe0 in triethoxysilane films R.G. Wilks, E.Z. Kurmaev, J.C. Pivin, A. Hunt, M.V. Yablonskikh, D.A. Zatsepin, A. Moewes, S. Shin, P. Palade, and G. Principi, J. Phys.: Cond. Matt. 17, 7023-7028 (2005). 

  • 11. Resonant Lα,β X-ray emission and L2,3 absorption spectra of 3d metals in Co2MnZ (Z=Al, Ga, Sn, Sb) Heusler alloys as an element-selective probe of spin-character of valence band M.V. Yablonskikh, Yu.M. Yarmoshenko, I.V. Soloview, E.Z. Kurmaev, L.-C. Duda, T. Schmitt, M. Magnuson, J. Nordgren, and A. Moewes, J. Electr. Spectr. Rel. Phenom. 144-147, 765-769 (2005). 

    Experience 

    • 2005-present  Research Assistant (Department of Physics and Engineering, University of Saskatchewan, Canada)
    • 2002-2005  Postdoctoral fellow (Department of Physics and Engineering, University of Saskatchewan, Canada)
    • 2000-2002  Postdoctoral fellow (Department of Physics, USX group, Uppsala University, Sweden)

    Education

    • 1997-2000  Ph.D. in Condensed Matter Experimental Physics, (Institute of Metal Physics, Russian Academy of Science, Yekaterinburg, Russia)
    • 1995-1997  M.Sc. in Engineering Physicis: Electronics and Automatics, minored in Ecological Systems of Radiation Safety, (Experimental Physics Department, Ural State Technical University, Yekaterinburg, Russia)