9701579 Xiao In this GOALI supported research program magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJ) will be prepared and studied with ultra-fast laser spectroscopy, near-field optics, and magneto- tunneling. The purpose is to study the fundamental and technological issues essential to the performance and competitiveness of the MTJ. The proposed work is closely linked to activities at IBM Research, Yorktown Heights. IBM will, where appropriate, pay for the support of students for work done at IBM Research. This activity is jointly supported by DMR and the OMA office of the MPS Directorate. %%% Magnetic tunnel junctions are devices which are actively pursued by industry as the new memory and sensor elements such as data storage reading heads and non-volatile magnetic random-access-memory (MRSM) cells. The scientific issues include gaining a more complete understanding of the magnetic behavior of these systems, especially while illuminated by light and the effect of reducing the device size. The GOALI supported work links expertise at the academic institution with activities at IBM Research, Yorktown Heights. IBM will, where appropriate, pay for the support of students for work done at IBM Research. This activity is jointly supported by DMR and the OMA office of the MPS Directorate. ***
