Adjusting dipolar interactions to control exceptional points in synthetic antiferromagnets

Abstract

Synthetic antiferromagnets (S-AFMs) have recently been shown to be ideal systems to search for Exceptional Points (EPs) [1]. In a S-AFM, EPs are the point at which the optical and acoustic magnons coalesce and are indistinguishable from one another. EPs can be reached by varying parameters, such as the exchange coupling between magnetic layers. Once an EP is reached, only a single magnon branch exists in the magnon energy spectrum, and this makes EPs an attractive prospect for controlling magnons in magnetic microstructures. Recently, we have computationally calculated and visualized EPs in S-AFMs using micromagnetic simulations [2]. We determined that dipolar interactions play a pivotal role in determining if and where EPs occur in the parameter space used to describe the S-AFM. Our results are both qualitatively and quantitatively different compared to macrospin models [3], where dipolar interactions are not considered. We are now investigating how the macrospin limit can be recovered in micromagnetic simulations if spacer layers are built into the simulation, or if the shape of the micromagnetic object is changed. By recovering the macrospin limit within micromagnetic simulations, we will demonstrate new geometric parameters that can be used to control EPs and the magnon energy spectrum within S-AFMs.Work at Oakland University was supported by U.S. National Science Foundation under Award No. ECCS-1941426.  FIG. 1. (a) Illustration of two micromagnetic layers in antiferromagnetic alignment. A nonmagnetic spacer layer is represented by the grey section. (b) Magnon spectra shown when simulating the antiferromagnetic state with ferromagnetic interlayer exchange stiffness. No clear presence of an EP exists in the antiferromagnetic state before it becomes unstable due to the FM exchange stiffness.