V. V. Kruglyak

Magnonics: Experiment to prove the concept

An experimental scheme for studying spin wave propagation across thin magnetic film samples is proposed. The scheme is based upon the creation of picosecond pulses of strongly localized effective magnetic field via ultrafast optical irradiation of a specially deposited exchange bias or exchange spring layer. The spin waves are excited near the irradiated surface before propagating across the thickness of the sample. They are then detected near the other surface either within the finite optical skin depth using the linear magneto-optical Kerr effect in metallic samples or by the magnetic second harmonic generation. The experiment can facilitate investigations of propagating spin waves with wavelengths down to several nanometers and frequencies in excess of hundreds of Gigahertz. An experiment upon a periodically layered nanowire (a finite cross-section magnonic crystal) is numerically simulated, although the sample might equally well be a continuous film or an array of elements (e.g. nanowires) that either have uniform composition or are periodically layered as in a magnonic crystal. The experiments could be extended to study domain wall-induced spin wave phase shifts and can be used for the creation of spin wave magnetic logic devices.

Spin wave interferometer employing a local nonuniformity of the effective magnetic field

We have investigated scattering of exchange spin waves by a model nonuniformity of the effective magnetic field. In particular, certain profiles of the nonuniformity are characterized by a total transmission of the spin wave intensity while inducing large shifts to the phase of transmitted spin waves. These properties are discussed in the context of potential application within a spin wave logic device—a spin wave interferometer containing such a nonuniformity in one of its branches. We demonstrate limitations imposed upon the size and the speed of operation of such a device by a requirement that it be controlled by an external uniform magnetic field.

Nanoscale spin wave valve and phase shifter

We have used micromagnetic simulations to demonstrate a method for controlling the amplitude and phase of spin waves propagating inside a magnonic waveguide. The method employs a nanomagnet formed on top of a magnonic waveguide. The function of the proposed device is controlled by defining the static magnetization direction of the nanomagnet. The result is a valve or phase shifter for spin waves, acting as the carrier of information for computation or data processing within the emerging spin wave logic architectures of magnonics. The proposed concept offers such technically important benefits as energy efficiency, non-volatility, and miniaturization.

Magnonic beam splitter: The building block of parallel magnonic circuitry

We demonstrate a magnonic beam splitter that works by inter-converting magnetostatic surface and backward-volume spin waves propagating in orthogonal sections of a T-shaped yttrium iron garnet structure. The inter-conversion is enabled by the overlap of the surface and volume spin wave bands. This overlap results from the demagnetising field induced along the transversely magnetised section(-s) of the structure and the quantization of the transverse wave number of the propagating spin waves (which are therefore better described as waveguide modes). In agreement with numerical micromagnetic simulations, our Brillouin light scattering imaging experiments reveal that, depending on the frequency, the incident fundamental waveguide magnonic modes may also be converted into higher order waveguide modes. The magnonic beam splitter demonstrated here is an important step towards the development of parallel logic circuitry of magnonics.

Spin waves in a periodically layered magnetic nanowire

We report a simple theoretical derivation of the spectrum and damping of spin waves in a cylindrical periodically structured magnetic nanowire (cylindrical magnonic crystal) in the “effective-medium” approximation. The dependence of the “effective” magnetic parameters upon the individual layer parameters is shown to be different from the arithmetic average over the volume of the superlattice. The formulas that are obtained can be applied firstly in the description of spin-wave dispersion in the first allowed band of the structure and secondly in the design of a magnonic crystal with band gaps in an arbitrary part of the spin-wave spectrum.

Ultrafast optical modification of exchange interactions in iron oxides

Ultrafast non-thermal manipulation of magnetization by light relies on either indirect coupling of the electric field component of the light with spins via spin-orbit interaction or direct coupling between the magnetic field component and spins. Here we propose a novel scenario for coupling between the electric field of light and spins via optical modification of the exchange interaction, one of the strongest quantum effects, the strength of which can reach 1000 Tesla. We demonstrate that this isotropic opto-magnetic effect, which can be called the inverse magneto-refraction, is allowed in a material of any symmetry. Its existence is corroborated by the experimental observation of THz emission by magnetic-dipole active spin resonances optically excited in a broad class of iron oxides with a canted spin configuration. From its strength we estimate that a sub-picosecond laser pulse with a moderate fluence of ~ 1 mJ/cm^2 acts as a pulsed effective magnetic field of 0.01 Tesla, arising from the optically perturbed balance between the exchange parameters. Our findings are supported by a low-energy theory for the microscopic magnetic interactions between non-equilibrium electrons subjected to an optical field which suggests a possibility to modify the exchange interactions by light over 1 %.Ultrafast non-thermal manipulation of magnetization by light relies on either indirect coupling of the electric field component of the light with spins via spin-orbit interaction or direct coupling between the magnetic field component and spins. Here we propose a scenario for coupling between the electric field of light and spins via optical modification of the exchange interaction, one of the strongest quantum effects with strength of 103 Tesla. We demonstrate that this isotropic opto-magnetic effect, which can be called inverse magneto-refraction, is allowed in a material of any symmetry. Its existence is corroborated by the experimental observation of terahertz emission by spin resonances optically excited in a broad class of iron oxides with a canted spin configuration. From its strength we estimate that a sub-picosecond modification of the exchange interaction by laser pulses with fluence of about 1 mJ cm−2 acts as a pulsed effective magnetic field of 0.01 Tesla.

Anisotropy, damping, and coherence of magnetization dynamics in a 10 μm square Ni81Fe19 element

We have studied magnetization precession in a square Ni81Fe19 element, of 10 μm width, by time-resolved scanning Kerr effect microscopy. From the frequency of precession, we deduce a fourfold in-plane anisotropy of about 30 Oe at the center of the square. Larger damping of the precession was observed at the center of the element when the static field was applied parallel to a diagonal rather than to an edge of the square. Dynamic images show that the apparent increase in damping is associated with nonuniformity of the dynamic magnetization that is associated with the sample shape.

Resonant microwave-to-spin-wave transducer

We use time resolved scanning Kerr microscopy and analytical and numerical calculations to demonstrate coupling of uniform global microwave field to propagating spin waves for emerging magnonic architectures. The coupling is mediated by the local dynamic dipolar field produced by the magnetization of a resonantly driven all-metallic magnetic microwave-to-spin-wave transducer. The local dipolar field can exceed that of the incident microwave field by one order of magnitude. Our numerical simulations demonstrate the ability of the transducer to unidirectionally emit coherent exchange spin waves of nanoscale wavelengths with the emission direction programmed by the magnetic state of the transducer.

Excitation of propagating spin waves with global uniform microwave fields

We demonstrate a magnonic architecture that converts global free-space uniform microwaves into spin waves propagating in a stripe magnonic waveguide. The architecture is based upon dispersion mismatch between the narrow magnonic waveguide and a wide “antenna” patch, both patterned from the same magnetic film. The spin waves injected into the waveguide travel to distances as large as several tens of micrometers. The antennas can be placed at multiple positions on a magnonic chip and used to excite mutually coherent multiple spin waves for magnonic logic operations. This demonstration paves way for “magnonics” to become a pervasive technology for information processing.

Spin-wave spectrum of a magnonic crystal with an isolated defect

Real magnonic crystals—periodic magnetic media for spin-wave (magnon) propagation—may contain some defects. We report theoretical spin-wave spectra of a one-dimensional magnonic crystal with an isolated defect. The latter is modeled by insertion of an additional layer with thickness and magnetic anisotropy values different from those of the magnonic crystal constituent layers. The defect layer leads to appearance of several localized defect modes within the magnonic band gaps. The frequency and the number of the defect modes may be controlled by varying parameters of the constituent layers of the magnonic crystal.