Search

Long-range ordering is typically associated with a decrease in entropy. Yet, it can also be driven by increasing entropy in certain special cases. We demonstrate that artificial spin ice arrays of single-domain nanomagnets can be designed to produce entropy-driven order. We focus on the tetris artificial spin ice structure, a highly frustrated array geometry with a zero-point Pauli entropy, which is formed by selectively creating regular vacancies on the canonical square ice lattice. We probe thermally active tetris artificial spin ice both experimentally and through simulations, measuring the magnetic moments of the individual nanomagnets. We find two-dimensional magnetic ordering in one subset of these moments, which we demonstrate to be induced by disorder (i.e., increased entropy) in another subset of the moments. In contrast with other entropy-driven systems, the discrete degrees of freedom in tetris artificial spin ice are binary and are both designable and directly observable at the microscale, and the entropy of the system is precisely calculable in simulations. This example, in which the system's interactions and ground state entropy are well-defined, expands the experimental landscape for the study of entropy-driven ordering., Comment: 53 pages, 19 figures (including Supplementary Information)

We demonstrate the detection of phase-resolved magnetization dynamics with combinatorial magneto-optic Kerr and Faraday effects. The method uses a continuous-wave laser that is amplitude-modulated at the spin dynamic frequencies and thus allows for coherent tracking of the spin dynamics, akin a “lock-in”-type measurement. In particular, our method, using a single 1550 nm wavelength, probes simultaneously the ferromagnetic (FM) resonance of Y3Fe5O12 (YIG) and Permalloy (Py = Ni80Fe20) in a YIG-Py heterostructure. The fiber-based magneto-optic components also have the advantage of being made into a compact, tabletop or even portable system with yet robust measurement performances. We believe that our method will be found useful in studying hybrid quantum magnonic systems and/or investigating phase-resolved spin dynamics in nanomagnet structures involving both FM insulators and metals.

Quantum technology has made tremendous strides over the past two decades with remarkable advances in materials engineering, circuit design, and dynamic operation. In particular, the integration of different quantum modules has benefited from hybrid quantum systems, which provide an important pathway for harnessing different natural advantages of complementary quantum systems and for engineering new functionalities. This review article focuses on the current frontiers with respect to utilizing magnons for novel quantum functionalities. Magnons are the fundamental excitations of magnetically ordered solid-state materials and provide great tunability and flexibility for interacting with various quantum modules for integration in diverse quantum systems. The concomitant-rich variety of physics and material selection enable exploration of novel quantum phenomena in materials science and engineering. In addition, the ease of generating strong coupling with other excitations makes hybrid magnonics a unique platform for quantum engineering. We start our discussion with circuit-based hybrid magnonic systems, which are coupled with microwave photons and acoustic phonons. Subsequently, we focus on the recent progress of magnon–magnon coupling within confined magnetic systems. Next, we highlight new opportunities for understanding the interactions between magnons and nitrogen-vacancy centers for quantum sensing and implementing quantum interconnects. Lastly, we focus on the spin excitations and magnon spectra of novel quantum materials investigated with advanced optical characterization.

Recent research on hybrid magnonics has been restricted by the long magnon wavelengths of the ferromagnetic resonance modes. We present an experiment on the hybridization of 250-nm wavelength magnons with microwave photons in a multimode magnonic system consists of a planar cavity and a magnetic bilayer. The coupling between magnon modes in the two magnetic layers, i.e., the uniform mode in Permalloy (Py) and the perpendicular standing spin waves (PSSWs) in YIG, serves as an effective means for exciting short-wavelength PSSWs, which is further hybridized with the photon mode of the microwave resonator. The demonstrated magnon-photon coupling approaches the superstrong coupling regime, and can even be achieved near zero bias field., 6 pages, 4 figures

We demonstrate the magnetically-induced transparency (MIT) effect in Y$$_3$$ 3 Fe$$_5$$ 5 O$$_{12}$$ 12 (YIG)/Permalloy (Py) coupled bilayers. The measurement is achieved via a heterodyne detection of the coupled magnetization dynamics using a single wavelength that probes the magneto-optical Kerr and Faraday effects of Py and YIG, respectively. Clear features of the MIT effect are evident from the deeply modulated ferromagnetic resonance of Py due to the perpendicular-standing-spin-wave of YIG. We develop a phenomenological model that nicely reproduces the experimental results including the induced amplitude and phase evolution caused by the magnon–magnon coupling. Our work offers a new route towards studying phase-resolved spin dynamics and hybrid magnonic systems.

One-dimensional strings of local excitations are a fascinating feature of the physical behavior of strongly correlated topological quantum matter. Here we study strings of local excitations in a classical system of interacting nanomagnets, the Santa Fe Ice geometry of artificial spin ice. We measured the moment configuration of the nanomagnets, both after annealing near the ferromagnetic Curie point and in a thermally dynamic state. While the Santa Fe Ice lattice structure is complex, we demonstrate that its disordered magnetic state is naturally described within a framework of emergent strings. We show experimentally that the string length follows a simple Boltzmann distribution with an energy scale that is associated with the system’s magnetic interactions and is consistent with theoretical predictions. The results demonstrate that string descriptions and associated topological characteristics are not unique to quantum models but can also provide a simplifying description of complex classical systems with non-trivial frustration., Strings of local excitations are interesting features of a strongly correlated topological quantum matter. Here, the authors show that Boltzmann-distributed strings of local excitations also describe the topological physics of the Santa Fe geometry of artificial spin ice, which is a classical thermal system.

Van der Waals magnets are uniquely positioned at the intersection between two-dimensional materials, antiferromagnetic spintronics, and magnonics. The interlayer exchange interaction in these materials enables antiferromagnetic resonances to be accessed at GHz frequencies. Consequently, these layered antiferromagnets are intriguing materials out of which quantum hybrid magnonic devices can be fashioned. Here, we use both a modified macrospin model and micromagnetic simulations to demonstrate a comprehensive antiferromagnetic resonance spectra in van der Waals magnets near the ultrathin (monolayer) limit. The number of optical and acoustic magnon modes, as well as the mode frequencies, are found to be exquisitely sensitive to the number of layers. We discover a self-hybridization effect where pairs of either optical or acoustic magnons are found to interact and self-hybridize through the dynamic exchange interaction. This leads to characteristic avoided energy level crossings in the energy spectra. Through simulations, we show that by electrically controlling the damping of surface layers within heterostructures both the strength and number of avoided energy level crossings in the magnon spectra can be controlled., Comment: 13 pages, 10 figures

We report phased-resolved ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) measurements in an epitaxial Fe50Co50 thin film using a heterodyne, optical detection method. We track the evolution of the precessional phase across the saturated and unsaturated regimes along the FeCo hard axis. For the two regimes, opposite phase evolutions with frequency are observed, which coincide with the negative effective field dependence on the biasing field for the unsaturated modes. In addition, a nonzero phase advance between 0.2 and 0.4 rad is found for the saturated with respect to the unsaturated modes, which indicates an incomplete spatial overlap of the two modes in the film caused by surface pinning effect. The optical method has the advantage of resolving both the spatial and phase information in FMR measurements, which will be closely relevant and adaptable to epitaxial samples with multiple anisotropy axes, and for both flip-chip-based continuous films and spin-torque-based nano-devices.

Artificial spin-ice systems are magnetic metamaterials consisting of nanomagnet arrays that can be designed to study exotic magnetic states not found in natural materials. Typically, these arrays are modelled as interacting binary macrospins that can only be in an up or down state and are described by the Ising model. These materials have demonstrated ordering transitions, but only via a spontaneous symmetry-breaking mechanism. We have designed and studied a quadrupole artificial spin-ice system consisting of interacting plaquettes of coupled single-domain nanomagnets that can be interpreted as a composite, ternary variable. After annealing this system in an external magnetic field, we observe both a ferroquadrupolar and an antiferroquadrupolar phase, with an apparent first-order phase boundary and a coexistence regime. The phase diagram of this material is reminiscent of a model used to describe phase coexistence in the superfluid transition of 4He with 3He impurities. These results illustrate how composite magnetic objects realize exotic statistical physics models beyond the Ising model. Artificial spin-ice materials are usually described by spins that are either up or down. Here, a new type of spin ice is fabricated where the spins can be in one of three states with different coexisting phases separated by a first-order transition.

We demonstrate the electrical detection of magnon-magnon hybrid dynamics in yttrium iron garnet/permalloy (YIG/Py) thin film bilayer devices. Direct microwave current injection through the conductive Py layer excites the hybrid dynamics consisting of the uniform mode of Py and the first standing spin wave ($n=1$) mode of YIG, which are coupled via interfacial exchange. Both the two hybrid modes, with Py or YIG dominated excitations, can be detected via the spin rectification signals from the conductive Py layer, providing phase resolution of the coupled dynamics. The phase characterization is also applied to a nonlocally excited Py device, revealing the additional phase shift due to the perpendicular Oersted field. Our results provide a device platform for exploring hybrid magnonic dynamics and probing their phases, which are crucial for implementing coherent information processing with magnon excitations

We report the construction and characterization of a comprehensive magnonic-opto-electronic oscillator (MOEO) system based on 1550-nm photonics and yttirum iron garnet (YIG) magnonics. The system exhibits a rich and synergistic parameter space because of the ability to control individual photonic, electronic, and magnonic components. Taking advantage of the spin wave dispersion of YIG, the frequency self-generation as well as the related nonlinear processes become sensitive to the external magnetic field. Besides being known as a narrowband filter and a delay element, the YIG delayline possesses spin wave modes that can be controlled to mix with the optoelectronic modes to generate higher-order harmonic beating modes. With the high sensitivity and external tunability, the MOEO system may find usefulness in sensing applications in magnetism and spintronics beyond optoelectronics and photonics., Comment: 13 pages, 9 figures. Comments are welcome. [A more comprehensive version of the manuscript was submitted to Rev. Sci. Instrum.]

We demonstrate the magnetically-induced transparency (MIT) effect in Y$$_3$$ 3 Fe$$_5$$ 5 O$$_{12}$$ 12 (YIG)/Permalloy (Py) coupled bilayers. The measurement is achieved via a heterodyne detection of the coupled magnetization dynamics using a single wavelength that probes the magneto-optical Kerr and Faraday effects of Py and YIG, respectively. Clear features of the MIT effect are evident from the deeply modulated ferromagnetic resonance of Py due to the perpendicular-standing-spin-wave of YIG. We develop a phenomenological model that nicely reproduces the experimental results including the induced amplitude and phase evolution caused by the magnon–magnon coupling. Our work offers a new route towards studying phase-resolved spin dynamics and hybrid magnonic systems.

Systems of interacting nanomagnets known as artificial spin ice1–4 have allowed the design, realization and study of geometrically frustrated exotic collective states5–10 that are absent in natural magnets. We have experimentally measured11,12 the thermally induced moment fluctuations in the Shakti geometry of artificial spin ice. We show that its disordered moment configuration is a topological phase described by an emergent dimer-cover model13 with excitations that can be characterized as topologically charged defects. Examination of the low-energy dynamics of the system confirms that these effective topological charges have long lifetimes associated with their topological protection, that is, they can be created and annihilated only as charge pairs with opposite sign and are kinetically constrained. This manifestation of classical topological order14–19 demonstrates that geometrical design in nanomagnetic systems can lead to emergent, topologically protected kinetics that can limit pathways to equilibration and ergodicity. Experiments on the Shakti geometry of artificial spin ice show that its low-energy excitations are topologically protected, and that an emergent classical topological order influences the ergodicity and equilibration of this nanomagnetic system.

Topological insulators (TIs) host spin-momentum locked surface states that are inherently susceptible to magnetic proximity modulations, making them promising for nano-electronic, spintronic, and quantum computing applications. While much effort has been devoted to studying (quantum) anomalous Hall effects in magnetic magnetically doped TIs, the inherent magnetoresistance (MR) properties in magnetic proximity-coupled surface states remain largely unexplored. Here, we directly exfoliate Bi2Se3 TI flakes onto a magnetic insulator, yttrium iron garnet, and measure the MR at various temperatures. We experimentally observe an anisotropic magnetoresistance that is consistent with a magnetized surface state. Our results indicate that the TI has magnetic anisotropy out of the sample plane, which opens an energy gap between the surface states. By applying a magnetic field along any in-plane orientation, the magnetization of the TI rotates toward the plane and the gap closes. Consequently, we observe a large (∼6.5%) MR signal that is attributed to an interplay between coherent rotation of magnetization within a topological insulator and abrupt switching of magnetization in the underlying magnetic insulator.

Within both synthetic ferromagnets and antiferromagnets, exceptional points, where optical and acoustic magnons coalesce into a single branch, can be used to control the magnon energy spectra. To date, exceptional point phenomena in magnon systems have been predominantly predicted and understood within the framework of macrospin models that are based upon coupled Landau–Lifshitz–Gilbert equations of motion. Although these equations can be readily linearized and solved, they do not necessarily incorporate all of the physical effects that are present in a real synthetic magnetic structure such as dipolar interactions. We have used micromagnetic simulations to model Permalloy based synthetic magnets that include both dipolar interactions, as well as the interlayer exchange coupling which determines whether or not the material is ferromagnetic or antiferromagnetic. For the material parameters considered in this work, we predict that only a single exceptional point is present when the system is ferromagnetic, and that no exceptional point appears when the material is antiferromagnetic. These results suggest that when calculating exceptional points within layered magnetic materials, interactions other than the interlayer exchange field must be accounted to accurately predict the existence of exceptional points, and that micromagnetic simulations are a useful tool to perform this task.

We experimentally identify coherent spin pumping in the magnon-magnon hybrid modes of yttrium iron garnet/permalloy (YIG/Py) bilayers. By reducing the YIG and Py thicknesses, the strong interfacial exchange coupling leads to large avoided crossings between the uniform mode of Py and the spin wave modes of YIG enabling accurate determination of modification of the linewidths due to the dampinglike torque. We identify additional linewidth suppression and enhancement for the in-phase and out-of-phase hybrid modes, respectively, which can be interpreted as concerted dampinglike torque from spin pumping. Furthermore, varying the Py thickness shows that both the fieldlike and dampinglike couplings vary like $1/\sqrt{{t}_{\mathrm{Py}}}$, verifying the prediction by the coupled Landau-Lifshitz equations.

This Chapter is devoted to spin dynamics in artificial spin ice (ASI) networks, which consist of arrays of magnetically interacting nanostructures. We introduce some of the most common artificial spin-ice lattices and review recent experimental and theoretical progress in this emerging area. A particular focus of this Chapter is on the collective behavior and the associated spin dynamics of the networks. We discuss kinetics due to thermalization processes of out-of-equilibrium states into ground states, as well as resonant excitations of spin dynamics and magnetotransport phenomena in artificial spin ice. With respect to each of the topics covered, future prospects and current transformative studies are discussed.

It was recently demonstrated in bilayers of permalloy and platinum, that by combining spin torques arising from the spin Hall effect with Oersted field-like torques, magnetization dynamics can be induced with a directional preference.1 This “unidirectional” magnetization dynamic effect is made possible by exploiting the different even and odd symmetry that damping-like and field-like torques respectively have when magnetization is reversed. The experimental method used to demonstrate this effect was the spin-torque ferromagnetic (ST-FMR) resonance technique; a popular tool used in the phenomenological quantification of a myriad of damping-like and field-like torques. In this report, we review the phenomenology which is used to describe and analyze the unidirectional magnetization dynamic effect in ST-FMR measurements. We will focus on how the asymmetry in the dynamics also is present in the phase angle of the magnetization precession. We conclude by demonstrating a utility of this directional effect; we will outline an improved experimental method that can be used to distinguish a phase-shifted field-like torque in a ST-FMR experiment from a combination of field-like and damping-like torques.

We have performed a detailed study of thermal annealing of the moment configuration in artificial spin ice. Permalloy (Ni$_{80}$Fe$_{20}$) artificial spin ice samples were examined in the prototypical square ice geometry, studying annealing as a function of island thickness, island shape, and annealing temperature and duration. We also measured the Curie temperature as a function of film thickness, finding that thickness has a strong effect on the Curie temperature in regimes of relevance to many studies of the dynamics of artificial spin ice systems. Increasing the interaction energy between island moments and reducing the energy barrier to flipping the island moments allows the system to more closely approach the collective low energy state of the moments upon annealing, suggesting new channels for understanding the thermalization processes in these important model systems., The following article has been accepted by APL Materials. After it is published, it will be found at Link

We have investigated the response of brickwork artificial spin ice to an applied in-plane magnetic field through magnetic force microscopy, magnetotransport measurements, and micromagnetic simulations. We find that, by sweeping an in-plane applied field from saturation to zero in a narrow range of angles near one of the principal axes of the lattice, the moments of the system fall into an antiferromagnetic ground state in both connected and disconnected structures. Magnetotransport measurements of the connected lattice exhibit unique signatures of this ground state. Also, modeling of the magnetotransport demonstrates that the signal arises at vertex regions in the structure, confirming behavior that was previously seen in transport studies of kagome artificial spin ice.

The rich physics associated with magnetism often centers around directional effects. Here we demonstrate how spin-transfer torques in general result in unidirectional ferromagnetic resonance dynamics upon field reversal. The unidirectionality is a direct consequence of both field-like and damping-like dynamic torques simultaneously driving the motion. This directional effect arises from the field-like torque being odd and the damping-like torque being even under field reversal. The directional effect is observed when the magnetization has both an in-plane and out-of-plane component, since then the linear combination of the torques rotates with a different handedness around the magnetization as the magnetization is tipped out-of-plane. The effect is experimentally investigated via spin-torque ferromagnetic resonance measurements with the field applied at arbitrary directions away from the interface normal. The measured asymmetry of the voltage spectra are well explained within a phenomenological torque model.

The change in electrical resistance associated with the application of an external magnetic field is known as the magnetoresistance (MR). The measured MR is quite complex in the class of connected networks of single-domain ferromagnetic nanowires, known as ``artificial spin ice,'' due to the geometrically induced collective behavior of the nanowire moments. We have conducted a thorough experimental study of the MR of a connected honeycomb artificial spin ice, and we present a simulation methodology for understanding the detailed behavior of this complex correlated magnetic system. Our results demonstrate that the behavior, even at low magnetic fields, can be well described only by including significant contributions from the vertices at which the legs meet, opening the door to new geometrically induced MR phenomena.

Spin-torque ferromagnetic resonance (ST-FMR) arises in heavy metal/ferromagnet heterostructures when an alternating charge current is passed through the bilayer stack. The methodology to detect the resonance is based on the anisotropic magnetoresistance, which is the change in the electrical resistance due to different orientations of the magnetization. In connected networks of ferromagnetic nanowires, known as artificial spin ice, the magnetoresistance is rather complex owing to the underlying collective behavior of the geometrically frustrated magnetic domain structure. Here, we demonstrate ST-FMR investigations in a square artificial spin-ice system and correlate our observations to magnetotransport measurements. The experimental findings are described using a simulation approach that highlights the importance of the correlated dynamics response of the magnetic system. Our results open the possibility of designing reconfigurable microwave oscillators and magnetoresistive devices based on connected networks of nanomagnets.

Previous studies of artificial spin ice have been largely restricted to periodic dot lattices. Ferromagnetic switching of segments in an applied magnetic field is stochastic in periodic spin ice systems, which makes emergent phenomena, such as the formation of vortex loops, hard to control or predict. We fabricated finite, aperiodic Penrose P2 tilings as antidot lattices with fivefold rotational symmetry in permalloy thin films. Measurements of the field dependence of the static magnetization reveal reproducible knee anomalies whose number and form are temperature dependent, which suggests they mark cooperative rearrangements of the tiling magnetic texture. Our micromagnetic simulations of the P2 tiling are in good agreement with experimental magnetization data and exhibit non-stochastic magnetic switching of segments in applied field, and vortex loops that are stable over an extended field interval during magnetic reversal.

Bulk spin Hall effects are well know to provide spin orbit torques, which can be used to drive magnetization dynamics [1]. But one of the reoccurring questions is to what extend spin orbit torques may also originate at the interface between materials with strong spin orbit coupling and the ferromagnets. Using spin torque driven ferromagnetic resonance we show for two systems, where interfacial torques dominate, that they can be large enough to be practically useful. First, we show spin transfer torque driven magnetization dynamics based on Rashba-Edelstein effects at the Bi/Ag interface [2]. Second, we will show that combining permalloy with monolayer MoS2 gives rise to sizable spin-orbit torques. Given the monolayer nature of MoS2 it is clear that bilk spin Hall effects are negligible and therefore the spin transfer torques are completely interfacial in nature. Interestingly the spin orbit torques with MoS2 show a distinct dependence on the orientation of the magnetization in the permalloy, and become strongly enhanced, when the magnetization is pointing perpendicular to the interfacial plane. This work was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Materials Science and Engineering Division. [1] A. Hoffmann, IEEE Trans. Mag. 49, 5172 (2013). [2] W. Zhang et al., J. Appl. Phys. 117, 17C727 (2015). [3] M. B. Jungfleisch et al., arXiv:1508.01410.

We report the magnetoresistance of Co/Pt superlattices having thickness gradients at different orientations relative to an applied current. We measure the magnetoresistance at a fixed field as a function of the out-of-plane field angle, and find a unidirectional magnetoresistance (UMR) in addition to the expected anisotropic magnetoresistance (AMR) and spin Hall magnetoresistance (SMR). Specifically, the UMR signal is the difference in resistance between the (out-of-plane) +z and −z field orientation. The magnitude of UMR is minimized when the thickness gradient is parallel to the applied current and maximized when the gradient is nearly perpendicular to the current. The results imply the possibility of an alternative source of UMR in Co/Pt multilayers in addition to the previously considered anomalous Hall effect.

We have used ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) at fixed frequency 9.7 GHz to investigate permalloy thin films patterned with antidots to form a five-fold quasicrystal pattern. For DC applied fields H below 3.5 kOe, we observed robust FMR spectra exhibiting two-fold rotational symmetry instead of the five-fold symmetry expected for quasicrystals. Dynamic micromagnetic simulations of the FMR spectra performed at H = 1 kOe and 12 kOe exhibit two-fold and ten-fold rotational symmetry, respectively. The ten-fold symmetry observed in simulations is consistent with a saturated state of isolated write fields. We infer the two-fold rotational symmetry observed for H = 1 kOe is due to an unsaturated state of five-fold write fields closely spaced on a square lattice.

We have performed broadband (10 MHz-14 GHz) ferromagnetic resonance measurements on permalloy thin films patterned with square lattices of diamond-shaped antidots of variable size and separation. We observe remarkably reproducible mode structures in the low-frequency, hysteretic regime in which various domain wall patterns and unsaturated magnetization textures exist and are strongly affected by the geometry of the antidot lattice. The magnetic field, frequency and angular dependences of the observed modes (some not previously reported) are in good agreement with recently developed micromagnetic simulations. The mode reproducibility is attributed to a reproducible evolution of domain wall textures governed by their pinning to antidot edges. We conclude variations of antidot size, shape and spacing can be used to control magnetic reversal, domain wall pinning and spin wave mode structure.

Magnetization dynamics in an artificial square spin-ice lattice made of Ni80Fe20 with magnetic field applied in the lattice plane is investigated by broadband ferromagnetic resonance spectroscopy. The experimentally observed dispersion shows a rich spectrum of modes corresponding to different magnetization states. These magnetization states are determined by exchange and dipolar interaction between individual islands, as is confirmed by a semianalytical model. In the low field regime below 400 Oe a hysteretic behavior in the mode spectrum is found. Micromagnetic simulations reveal that the origin of the observed spectra is due to the initialization of different magnetization states of individual nanomagnets. Our results indicate that it might be possible to determine the spin-ice state by resonance experiments and are a first step towards the understanding of artificial geometrically frustrated magnetic systems in the high-frequency regime.

Due to its transverse nature, spin Hall effects (SHE) provide the possibility to excite and detect spin currents and magnetization dynamics even in magnetic insulators. Magnetic insulators are outstanding materials for the investigation of nonlinear phenomena and for novel low power spintronics applications because of their extremely low Gilbert damping. Here, we report on the direct imaging of electrically driven spin-torque ferromagnetic resonance (ST-FMR) in the ferrimagnetic insulator Y$_3$Fe$_5$O$_{12}$ based on the excitation and detection by SHEs. The driven spin dynamics in Y$_3$Fe$_5$O$_{12}$ is directly imaged by spatially-resolved microfocused Brillouin light scattering (BLS) spectroscopy. Previously, ST-FMR experiments assumed a uniform precession across the sample, which is not valid in our measurements. A strong spin-wave localization in the center of the sample is observed indicating the formation of a nonlinear, self-localized spin-wave `bullet'.

Previous ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) studies of ferromagnetic (FM) thin films patterned with antidot (AD) arrays have generally avoided the low-field, hysteretic regime that is dominated by irreversible domain wall (DW) dynamics in unpatterned films. Moreover, FM vortices have not yet been identified and systematically studied in films patterned with AD lattices (ADLs). We have studied DC magnetization and broad-band FMR data for permalloy thin films of thickness t ≈ 25 nm, patterned with square lattices of square-shaped AD of width D and separation d = 1000 nm. We observe highly reproducible magnetic hysteresis curves and FMR spectra in the low-field reversal regime (i.e., applied magnetic fields H H C , where H C is the coercive field), which indicates the ADL enforces a reproducible evolution of spin textures compared to the more random behavior of DW evolution in unpatterned films. The width of the reversal regime (2 H C ) and the field separation between observed FMR modes increases with D for a fixed separation d . Our micromagnetic simulations suggest these effects are consequences of both edge pinning of moments by individual AD, or DW pinning by the extended ADL, which involves two distinct length scales L ≈ d and L ≫ d , respectively. FM vortices are observed in our simulations, and their stability sensitively depends upon the AD size and applied magnetic field history.

We demonstrate the generation and detection of spin-torque ferromagnetic resonance in $\text{Pt/}{\mathrm{Y}}_{3}{\mathrm{Fe}}_{5}{\mathrm{O}}_{12}$ (YIG) bilayers. A unique attribute of this system is that the spin Hall effect lies at the heart of both the generation and detection processes and no charge current is passing through the insulating magnetic layer. When the YIG undergoes resonance, a dc voltage is detected longitudinally along the Pt that can be described by two components. One is the mixing of the spin Hall magnetoresistance with the microwave current. The other results from spin pumping into the Pt being converted to a dc current through the inverse spin Hall effect. The voltage is measured with applied magnetic field directions that range from in plane to nearly perpendicular. When compared with theory, we find that the real and imaginary parts of the spin mixing conductance have out-of-plane angular dependences.

A major focus within the field of magnonics involves the manipulation and control of spin-wave modes. This is usually done by patterning continuous soft magnetic films. Here, we report on work in which we use topographic modifications of a continuous magnetic thin film, rather than lithographic patterning techniques, to modify the ferromagnetic resonance spectrum. To demonstrate this technique we have performed in-plane, broadband, ferromagnetic resonance studies on a 100-nm-thick permalloy film sputtered onto a colloidal crystal with individual sphere diameters of 200 nm. Effects resulting from the, ideally, sixfold-symmetric underlying colloidal crystal were studied as a function of the in-plane field angle through experiment and micromagnetic modeling. Experimentally, we find two primary modes; the ratio of the intensities of these two modes exhibits a sixfold dependence. Detailed micromagnetic modeling shows that both modes are quasiuniform and nodeless in the unit cell but that they reside in different demagnetized regions of the unit cell. Our results demonstrate that topographic modification of magnetic thin films opens additional directions for manipulating ferromagnetic resonant excitations.

The Rashba-Edelstein effect stems from the interaction between the electron's spin and its momentum induced by spin-orbit interaction at an interface or a surface. It was shown that the inverse Rashba-Edelstein effect can be used to convert a spin current into a charge current. Here, we demonstrate the reverse process of a charge- to spin-current conversion at a Bi/Ag Rashba interface. We show that this interface-driven spin current can drive an adjacent ferromagnet to resonance. We employ a spin-torque ferromagnetic resonance excitation/detection scheme which was developed originally for a bulk spin-orbital effect, the spin Hall effect. In our experiment, the direct Rashba-Edelstein effect generates an oscillating spin current from an alternating charge current driving the magnetization precession in a neighboring permalloy (Py, ${\mathrm{Ni}}_{80}{\mathrm{Fe}}_{20}$) layer. Electrical detection of the magnetization dynamics is achieved by a rectification mechanism of the time dependent multilayer resistance arising from the anisotropic magnetoresistance.

An improved method for characterizing the magnetic anisotropy of films with cubic symmetry is described and is applied to an yttrium iron garnet (111) film. Analysis of the ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) spectra performed both in-plane and out-of-plane from 0.7 to 8 GHz yielded the magnetic anisotropy constants as well as the saturation magnetization. The field at which FMR is observed turns out to be quite sensitive to anisotropy constants (by more than a factor ten) in the low frequency (

We investigated the spin-wave propagation in a micro-structured yttrium iron garnet waveguide of $40$ nm thickness. Utilizing spatially-resolved Brillouin light scattering microscopy, an exponential decay of the spin-wave amplitude of $(10.06 \pm 0.83)$ $\mu$m was observed. This leads to an estimated Gilbert damping constant of $\alpha=(8.79\pm 0.73)\times 10^{-4}$, which is larger than damping values obtained through ferromagnetic resonance measurements in unstructured films. The theoretically calculated spatial interference of waveguide modes was compared to the spin-wave pattern observed experimentally by means of Brillouin light scattering spectroscopy.

Most of the modern spintronics developments rely on the manipulation of magnetization states via electric currents, which started with the discovery of spin transfer torque effects 20 years ago. By now, it has been realized that spin-orbit coupling provides a particularly efficient pathway for generating spin torques from charge currents. At the same time, spin-orbit effects can be enhanced at interfaces, which opens up novel device concepts. Here, we discuss two examples of such interfacial spin-orbit torques, namely, systems with inherently two-dimensional materials and metallic bilayers with strong Rashba spin-orbit coupling at their interfaces. We show how ferromagnetic resonance excited by spin-orbit torques can provide information about the underlying mechanisms. In addition, this article provides a brief overview of recent developments with respect to interfacial spin-orbit torques and an outlook of still open questions.

We have patterned novel Permalloy thin films with quasicrystalline Penrose $P2$ tilings and measured their dc magnetization and ferromagnetic resonance absorption. Reproducible anomalies in the hysteretic, low-field data signal a series of abrupt transitions between ordered magnetization textures, culminating in a smooth evolution into a saturated state. Micromagnetic simulations compare well to experimental dc hysteresis loops and ferromagnetic resonance spectra and indicate that systematic control of magnetic reversal and domain wall motion can be achieved via tiling design, offering a new paradigm of magnonic quasicrystals.

We investigate angular dependent spin-orbit torques from the spin Hall effect in a metallic antiferromagnet using the spin-torque ferromagnetic resonance technique. The large spin Hall effect exists in PtMn, a prototypical CuAu-I-type metallic antiferromagnet. By applying epitaxial growth, we previously reported an appreciable difference in spin-orbit torques for c- and a-axis orientated samples, implying anisotropic effects in magnetically ordered materials. In this work we demonstrate through bipolar-magnetic-field experiments a small but noticeable asymmetric behavior in the spin-transfer-torque that appears as a hysteresis effect. We also suggest that metallic antiferromagnets may be good candidates for the investigation of various unidirectional effects related to novel spin-orbitronics phenomena.