Florian Brandl

Magnetic thin-film insulator with ultra-low spin wave damping for coherent nanomagnonics

Wave control in the solid state has opened new avenues in modern information technology. Surface-acoustic-wave-based devices are found as mass market products in 100 millions of cellular phones. Spin waves (magnons) would offer a boost in todays data handling and security implementations, i.e., image processing and speech recognition. However, nanomagnonic devices realized so far suffer from the relatively short damping length in the metallic ferromagnets amounting to a few 10 micrometers typically. Here we demonstrate that nm-thick YIG films overcome the damping chasm. Using a conventional coplanar waveguide we excite a large series of short-wavelength spin waves (SWs). From the data we estimate a macroscopic of damping length of about 600 micrometers. The intrinsic damping parameter suggests even a record value about 1 mm allowing for magnonics-based nanotechnology with ultra-low damping. In addition, SWs at large wave vector are found to exhibit the non-reciprocal properties relevant for new concepts in nanoscale SW-based logics. We expect our results to provide the basis for coherent data processing with SWs at GHz rates and in large arrays of cellular magnetic arrays, thereby boosting the envisioned image processing and speech recognition.

Omnidirectional spin-wave nanograting coupler

Magnonics as an emerging nanotechnology offers functionalities beyond current semiconductor technology. Spin waves used in cellular nonlinear networks are expected to speed up technologically, demanding tasks such as image processing and speech recognition at low power consumption. However, efficient coupling to microelectronics poses a vital challenge. Previously developed techniques for spin-wave excitation (for example, by using parametric pumping in a cavity) may not allow for the relevant downscaling or provide only individual point-like sources. Here we demonstrate that a grating coupler of periodically nanostructured magnets provokes multidirectional emission of short-wavelength spin waves with giantly enhanced amplitude compared with a bare microwave antenna. Exploring the dependence on ferromagnetic materials, lattice constants and the applied magnetic field, we find the magnonic grating coupler to be more versatile compared with gratings in photonics and plasmonics. Our results allow one to convert, in particular, straight microwave antennas into omnidirectional emitters for short-wavelength spin waves, which are key to cellular nonlinear networks and integrated magnonics.

High propagating velocity of spin waves and temperature dependent damping in a CoFeB thin film

Spin wave propagation in a magnetron-sputtered CoFeB thin film is investigated. We apply both in-plane and out-of-plane magnetic fields. At room temperature, we find velocities of up to 25 and 3.5 km/s, respectively. These values are much larger compared to a thin permalloy film. Analyzing the resonance linewidth, we obtain an intrinsic Gilbert damping parameter of about 0.007 at room temperature. It increases to 0.023 at 5 K. CoFeB is a promising material for magnonic devices supporting fast propagating spin waves.

Approaching soft X-ray wavelengths in nanomagnet-based microwave technology.

Seven decades after the discovery of collective spin excitations in microwave-irradiated ferromagnets, there has been a rebirth of magnonics. However, magnetic nanodevices will enable smart GHz-to-THz devices at low power consumption only, if such spin waves (magnons) are generated and manipulated on the sub-100 nm scale. Here we show how magnons with a wavelength of a few 10 nm are exploited by combining the functionality of insulating yttrium iron garnet and nanodisks from different ferromagnets. We demonstrate magnonic devices at wavelengths of 88 nm written/read by conventional coplanar waveguides. Our microwave-to-magnon transducers are reconfigurable and thereby provide additional functionalities. The results pave the way for a multi-functional GHz technology with unprecedented miniaturization exploiting nanoscale wavelengths that are otherwise relevant for soft X-rays. Nanomagnonics integrated with broadband microwave circuitry offer applications that are wide ranging, from nanoscale microwave components to nonlinear data processing, image reconstruction and wave-based logic.

Consistent Probabilistic Social Choice

Two fundamental axioms in social choice theory are consistency with respect to a variable electorate and consistency with respect to components of similar alternatives. In the context of traditional non-probabilistic social choice, these axioms are incompatible with each other. We show that in the context of probabilistic social choice, these axioms uniquely characterize a function proposed by Fishburn (Rev. Econ. Stud., 51(4), 683--692, 1984). Fishburns function returns so-called maximal lotteries, i.e., lotteries that correspond to optimal mixed strategies of the underlying plurality game. Maximal lotteries are guaranteed to exist due to von Neumanns Minimax Theorem, are almost always unique, and can be efficiently computed using linear programming.

Space- and time-resolved Seebeck and Nernst voltages in laser-heated permalloy/gold microstructures

Thermoelectric effects in microstructured permalloy (Py)/Au wires are investigated using space- and time-resolved measurements based on scanning focused laser heating. Supported by numerical simulations of the temperature distribution, we identify two major contributions to the laser-induced signals: (i) the Seebeck effect due to thermocouples of Py/Au and (ii) the anomalous Nernst effect (ANE) in Py with a coefficient of NANE≈1.6 μV/K. ANE-based magnetic imaging of magnetic domains and magnetization reversal is demonstrated with a lateral resolution on the μm scale.

The impossibility of extending random dictatorship to weak preferences

Random dictatorship has been characterized as the only social decision scheme that satisfies efficiency and strategyproofness when individual preferences are strict. We show that no extension of random dictatorship to weak preferences satisfies these properties, even when significantly weakening the required degree of strategyproofness.

Popular Matchings with Multiple Partners

Our input is a bipartite graph

Universal pareto dominance and welfare for plausible utility functions

G = (A \cup B,E)

Fabrication and local laser heating of freestanding Ni80Fe20 bridges with Pt contacts displaying anisotropic magnetoresistance and anomalous Nernst effect

where each vertex in