Magnon Interaction Research Articles

Magnonic noise in the parametric spin-wave pumping process

This study investigates magnonic noise in the context of parametric spin-wave pumping in a yttrium iron garnet waveguide. By analyzing the input power dependence of parametric spin-wave spectra, we observed spectrum broadening and the emergence of additional pumping channels. A threshold power of 99.9 mW was determined based on spin-wave voltage. To elucidate magnon dynamics beyond the threshold, magnonic noise was examined, revealing its greater sensitivity to magnon scattering compared to spin-wave voltage. The detection of four-magnon scattering and its power-dependent behavior provides further insights into magnon interactions. Our findings contribute to a deeper understanding of magnon dynamics in parametric pumping, a critical process in magnonics.

Effect of nonlinear magnon interactions on stochastic magnetization switching

Effect of nonlinear magnon interactions on stochastic magnetization switching

Impact of magnon interactions on transport in honeycomb antiferromagnets

Impact of magnon interactions on transport in honeycomb antiferromagnets

Using magnons as a quantum technology platform: a perspective

Traditional electronics rely on charge currents for controlling and transmitting information, resulting in energy dissipation due to electron scattering. Over the last decade, magnons, quanta of spin waves, have emerged as a promising alternative. This perspective article provides a brief review of experimental and theoretical studies on quantum and hybrid magnonics resulting from the interaction of magnons with other quasiparticles in the GHz frequency range, offering insights into the development of functional magnonic devices. In this process, we discuss recent advancements in the quantum theory of magnons and their coupling with various types of qubits in nanoscale ferromagnets, antiferromagnets, synthetic antiferromagnets, and magnetic bulk systems. Additionally, we explore potential technological platforms that enable new functionalities in magnonics, concluding with future directions and emerging phenomena in this burgeoning field.

Magnon interactions in a moderately correlated Mott insulator

Quantum fluctuations in low-dimensional systems and near quantum phase transitions have significant influences on material properties. Yet, it is difficult to experimentally gauge the strength and importance of quantum fluctuations. Here we provide a resonant inelastic x-ray scattering study of magnon excitations in Mott insulating cuprates. From the thin film of SrCuO2, single- and bi-magnon dispersions are derived. Using an effective Heisenberg Hamiltonian generated from the Hubbard model, we show that the single-magnon dispersion is only described satisfactorily when including significant quantum corrections stemming from magnon-magnon interactions. Comparative results on La2CuO4 indicate that quantum fluctuations are much stronger in SrCuO2 suggesting closer proximity to a magnetic quantum critical point. Monte Carlo calculations reveal that other magnetic orders may compete with the antiferromagnetic Néel order as the ground state. Our results indicate that SrCuO2—due to strong quantum fluctuations—is a unique starting point for the exploration of novel magnetic ground states.

Effect of growth conditions on magnetization reversal and magnetic anisotropy in Co2Fe0.5Ti0.5Si quaternary Heusler alloy thin films

Ferromagnetic resonance and magneto-optic Kerr effect (MOKE) techniques are employed to unravel the nature of ‘in-plane’ (IP) magnetic anisotropy and magnetization reversal (MR) processes in magnetron-sputtered 100 nm Co2Fe0.5Ti0.5Si (CFTS) thin films, deposited (and subsequently annealed) at different substrate temperatures (Ts) ranging from 200 °C to 550 °C. By varying TS, the CFTS films are produced with different amounts of anti-site (AS) atomic disorder. Irrespective of the degree of AS disorder, the IP uniaxial magnetic anisotropy (UMA) is prevalent in all the CFTS films. The TS450 and TS500 films, deposited at T S = 450 °C and 500 °C, stand out as they have (i) the least AS disorder, (ii) lowest value (α = 0.0055) of the Gilbert damping constant, (iii) high saturation magnetization ( ≅770 G ) at 300 K, (iv) UMA energy density as high as ≅1.6×104erg/cc at 120 K dropping to ≅1.0×104erg/cc at 300 K, (v) spin-wave stiffness ( D ) at T = 0 K, D0≅175 meVÅ2 and, as in other CFTS films, the electron–magnon interaction is primarily responsible for the thermal renormalization of D . Furthermore, in the TS450 and TS500 films, MOKE hysteresis loops at various angles ( ψH ) that the field makes with the easy axis in the film plane, reveals two mutually exclusive UMAs, UMA1≫UMA2 , with easy axes perpendicular to each other. By contrast, only a single UMA is observed in all the remaining films. When ψH=0∘ , MOKE domain images reveal that, consistent with the uniaxial nature of magnetic anisotropy, an abrupt reversal of magnetization is accompanied by the formation of 180° domains. When ψH = 90°, due to the presence of two UMAs in TS450 and TS500 films, following the field reversal, first the reverse domains nucleate and then grow at the expense of the fundamental domains through field-induced domain wall motion.

Extreme terahertz magnon multiplication induced by resonant magnetic pulse pairs

Nonlinear interactions of spin-waves and their quanta, magnons, have emerged as prominent candidates for interference-based technology, ranging from quantum transduction to antiferromagnetic spintronics. Yet magnon multiplication in the terahertz (THz) spectral region represents a major challenge. Intense, resonant magnetic fields from THz pulse-pairs with controllable phases and amplitudes enable high order THz magnon multiplication, distinct from non-resonant nonlinearities such as the high harmonic generation by below-band gap electric fields. Here, we demonstrate exceptionally high-order THz nonlinear magnonics. It manifests as 7th-order spin-wave-mixing and 6th harmonic magnon generation in an antiferromagnetic orthoferrite. We use THz two-dimensional coherent spectroscopy to achieve high-sensitivity detection of nonlinear magnon interactions up to six-magnon quanta in strongly-driven many-magnon correlated states. The high-order magnon multiplication, supported by classical and quantum spin simulations, elucidates the significance of four-fold magnetic anisotropy and Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya symmetry breaking. Moreover, our results shed light on the potential quantum fluctuation properties inherent in nonlinear magnons.

Semiclassical approach to spin dynamics of a ferromagnetic S = 1 chain

Abstract Motivated by recent experimental progress on the quasi-one-dimensional quantum magnet NiNb2O6, we study the spin dynamics of an S = 1 ferromagnetic Heisenberg chain with single-ion anisotropy by using a semiclassical molecular dynamics approach. This system undergoes a quantum phase transition from a ferromagnetic to a paramagnetic state under a transverse magnetic field, and the magnetic response reflecting this transition is well described by our semiclassical method. We show that at low temperature the transverse component of the dynamical structure factor depicts clearly the magnon dispersion, and the longitudinal component exhibits two continua associated with single- and two-magnon excitations, respectively. These spin excitation spectra show interesting temperature dependence as effects of magnon interactions. Our findings shed light on the experimental detection of spin excitations in a large class of quasi-one-dimensional magnets.

Blended ferron solitary wave emerging from electron–phonon–magnon interaction in magnetic clusters: Ferrons vs skyrmions

In this paper, the solitonic behaviour of a blended ferron in a ferromagnetic material is studied and the different spin configurations obtained are discussed. It is found that the electron–magnon–phonon coupling significantly affects the exchange between neighbouring spins and thus both the lattice and the spin are polarized. The dynamics of the model is well described by a set of nonlinear discrete self-trapped equations with stable resonant solutions. In terms of topology, the ferron configurations obtained mimic a skyrmion, while their induced polarization and magnetization are Bell-shape soliton-like. We observe that a significant presence of the Dzyaloshinsky–Moriya interaction topologically favours a vortex skyrmion configuration (Bloch’s skyrmion), while its absence restores a Neel’s skyrmion shape. Therefore, the blended ferron is manifested in the magnetic material by its localization and the formation of self-trapped states leading to skyrmion topology. This wonderful combination is a huge boost in skyrmion formation and thus the probable application to superconductivity are opened through skyrmion pairing.

Fabrication of compact circular ring antenna loaded with Gd-YIG ferrites: Photon–magnon interaction

In telecommunications technology, transmitting and receiving signals is not possible without an integrated antenna. Recently, novel approaches of transmitting and receiving signals using advancement in quantum technology as “information coherent transfer” have been emphasized which overcomes the limitations of superconducting qubits. In the present investigation, a compact-sized circular-ring antenna was designed for a 12 GHz centre frequency. The antenna was topped with Gd(x)-doped YIG (x = 0.0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3) thin disks to investigate its tunable operation over the tri-band (C to Ku) frequencies due to the photon–magnon coupling, which enables coherent qubit information transmission from an electromagnetic (EM) carrier to the magnons. The proposed prototype of the antenna is validated using HFSS simulation. To characterize the frequency tunability of the designed antenna, we measured the return loss (S11) via a vector network analyzer as a function of dc magnetic field. Different concentrations of Gd-doped YIG ferrites (Gdx-YIG) have been loaded on ring antennas to observe strong anti-crossing phenomena with the application of an external magnetic field. The designed antenna has a tunability of around 300% for a small applied magnetic field up to 3.7 kOe. The maximum gain of dual resonance antenna is 1.4 for higher magnetic field of 3.7 kOe. The highest efficiency and lowest bandwidth of 30% and 14% respectively, for Gd0.1-YIG disk are observed. The measured normal mode splitting spectrum as a function of bias magnetic field that gives the maximum coupling strength is 153 MHz for a Gd concentration of 0.1. For practical applications, such antennas are suitable for use in tunable tri-band or multi-band applications (C to Ku).

Thermal generation of spin current in a quantum dot coupled to magnetic insulators

In this work, we study thermally-generated spin current in the system consisting of a quantum dot connected to two magnetic insulators. The external leads are kept at different temperatures which leads to an imbalance of magnon populations in two magnetic insulators resulting in the flow of the magnon (spin) current. We take into account many-body magnon interactions and incorporate energy-dependent density of states of the magnetic insulators. Both features can strongly affect magnon distribution in the magnetic insulators and the coupling strengths between the leads and the dot, and thus, the thermally generated spin current. All the calculations are carried out in the weak coupling regime. We show, that results obtained with a density of states being a function of energy differ significantly from the ones obtained with a density of states taken as a constant. In turn, magnon interactions in the leads proved to be important at high temperatures and large values of energy of transported spin waves.

Tutorial: Nonlinear magnonics

Nonlinear magnonics studies the nonlinear interaction between magnons and other physical platforms (phonon, photon, qubit, spin texture) to generate novel magnon states for information processing. In this Tutorial, we first introduce the nonlinear interactions of magnons in pure magnetic systems and hybrid magnon–phonon and magnon–photon systems. Then, we show how these nonlinear interactions can generate exotic magnonic phenomena. In the classical regime, we will cover the parametric excitation of magnons, bistability and multistability, and magnonic frequency comb. In the quantum regime, we will discuss the single-magnon state, Schrödinger cat state, and the entanglement and quantum steering among magnons, photons, and phonons. The applications of the hybrid magnonics systems in quantum transducer and sensing will also be presented. Finally, we look at the future development direction of nonlinear magnonics.

Quantum information diode based on a magnonic crystal

Exploiting the effect of nonreciprocal magnons in a system with no inversion symmetry, we propose a concept of a quantum information diode (QID), i.e. a device rectifying the amount of quantum information transmitted in the opposite directions. We control the asymmetric left and right quantum information currents through an applied external electric field and quantify it through the left and right out-of-time-ordered correlation. To enhance the efficiency of the QID, we utilize a magnonic crystal. We excite magnons of different frequencies and let them propagate in opposite directions. Nonreciprocal magnons propagating in opposite directions have different dispersion relations. Magnons propagating in one direction match resonant conditions and scatter on gate magnons. Therefore, magnon flux in one direction is damped in the magnonic crystal leading to an asymmetric transport of quantum information in the QID. A QID can be fabricated from an yttrium iron garnet film. This is an experimentally feasible concept and implies certain conditions: low temperature and small deviation from the equilibrium to exclude effects of phonons and magnon interactions. We show that rectification of the flaw of quantum information can be controlled efficiently by an external electric field and magnetoelectric effects.

Towards Resonantly Enhanced Acoustic Phonon-Exchange Magnon Interactions at THz Frequencies

Using valid experimental parameters, we quantify the magnitude of resonantly phonon-driven precession of exchange magnons in freestanding ferromagnetic nickel thin films on their thickness L. Analytical solutions of acoustically driven equations for magnon oscillators display a nonmonotonous dependence of the peak magnetization precession on the film thickness. It is explained by different L-dependence of multiple prefactors entering in the expression for the total magnetization dynamics. Depending on the ratio of acoustic and magnetic (Gilbert) damping constants, the magnetization precession is shown to be amplified by a Q-factor of either the phonon or the magnon resonance. The increase in the phonon mode amplitude for thinner membranes is also found to be significant. Focusing on the magnetization dynamics excited by the two first acoustic eigenmodes with p=1 and p=2, we predict the optimum thicknesses of nickel membranes to achieve large amplitude magnetization precession at multi 100 GHz frequencies at reasonably low values of an external magnetic field. By extending the study to the case of Ni-Si bilayers, we show that these resonances are achievable at even higher frequencies, approaching the THz range.

Generation of magnonic frequency combs via a two-tone microwave drive

Magnonic frequency combs, a direct analog of optical frequency combs in the field of spin waves, have recently received considerable attentions due to their potential applications in high-precision magnonic frequency metrology. However, due to the weak nonlinear interaction of magnons, it is difficult to generate a wide-bandwidth magnonic frequency comb under a low power drive. Here, we present an efficient mechanism for the generation of a wide-bandwidth magnonic frequency comb via a two-tone microwave driving in a magnomechanical system. Numerical simulations show that the magnetostrictive effect can be greatly enhanced by the beat frequency signal from the two-tone microwave driving field, and a robust magnonic frequency comb can be observed at low power. Furthermore, abundant nonperturbative features appear in the magnonic spectrum, implying that the magnons as bosons may also be similar to photons in atom-molecular systems. Our scheme thus provides a pathway for the generation of a flat magnonic frequency comb under a low-power driving condition that may be beneficial for precision metrology based on magnonic platforms as well as the understanding of nonlinear magnomechanic dynamics.

Controlling Selection Rules for Magnon Scattering in Nanomagnets by Spatial Symmetry Breaking

Nanomagnets are the building blocks of many existing and emergent spintronic technologies. The magnetization dynamics of nanomagnets is often dominated by nonlinear processes, which have been recently shown to have many surprising features and far-reaching implications for applications. Here we develop a theoretical framework uncovering the selection rules for multimagnon processes and discuss their underlying mechanisms. For its technological relevance, we focus on the degenerate three-magnon process in thin elliptical nanodisks to illustrate our findings. We parameterize the selection rules through a set of magnon interaction coefficients which we calculate using micromagnetic simulations. We postulate the selection rules and investigate how they are altered by perturbations that break the symmetry of static magnetization configuration and spatial spin-wave profiles and that can be realized by applying off-symmetry-axis or nonuniform magnetic fields. Our work provides the phenomenological understanding of the mechanics of magnon interaction as well as the formalism for determining the interaction coefficients from simulations and experimental data. Our results serve as a guide to analyze the magnon processes inherently present in spin-torque devices in order to boost their performance or to engineer a specific nonlinear response in a nanomagnet used in a neuromorphic or quantum magnonic application.

Nonlocal correlation effects due to virtual spin-flip processes in itinerant electron ferromagnets

We present an ab initio method for electronic structure calculations, which accounts for the interaction of electrons and magnons in ferromagnets. While it is based on a many-body perturbation theory we approximate numerically complex quantities with quantities from time-dependent density functional theory. This results in a simple and affordable algorithm which allows us to consider more complex materials than those usually studied in this context ($3d$ ferromagnets) while still being able to account for the nonlocality of the self-energy. Furthermore, our approach allows for a relatively simple way to incorporate self-consistency. Our results are in a good agreement with experimental and theoretical findings for iron and nickel. Especially the experimental exchange splitting of nickel is predicted accurately within our theory. Additionally, we study the half-metallic ferromagnet NiMnSb concerning its nonquasiparticle states appearing in the band gap due to spin-flip excitations.

Oscillations and confluence in three-magnon scattering of ferromagnetic resonance

We have performed a time-resolved and phase-sensitive investigation of three-magnon scattering of ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) over several orders of magnitude in excitation power. We observe a regime that hosts transient oscillations of the FMR magnon population, despite higher-order magnon interactions at large powers. Also at high powers, the scattering generates $180^\circ$ phase shifts of the FMR magnons. These phase shifts correspond to reversals in the three-magnon scattering direction, between splitting and confluence. These scattering reversals are most directly observed after removing the microwave excitation, generating coherent oscillations of the FMR magnon population much larger than its steady-state value during the excitation. Our model is in strong agreement with these findings. These findings reveal the transient behavior of this three-magnon scattering process, and the nontrivial interplay between three-magnon scattering and the magnons' phases.

Resistivity minima in disordered Co2FeAl0.5Si0.5 Heusler alloy thin films

An exhaustive study of the effect of anti-site disorder on the ‘zero-field’, ρ(T, H = 0), and ‘in-field’, ρ(T, H = 80 kOe), electrical resistivity in 50 nm thick Co2FeAl0.5Si0.5 (CFAS) Heusler alloy thin films (deposited on the Si(100) or SiO2/Si(100) substrates at fixed substrate temperatures in the range 27°C≤TS≤550°C), has been carried out. Irrespective of the strength of disorder, resistivity goes through a minimum as a function of temperature at T = Tmin. With increasing substrate temperature, the crystalline order of the CFAS thin films improves so much so that the films deposited at 500 °C have the lowest anti-site disorder within the B2 structure and the least residual resistivity. A quantitative comparison of our results with the predictions of the existing theoretical models permits us to unambiguously identify the diffusive and ballistic transport mechanisms, responsible for ρ(T, H = 0) and ρ(T, H = 80 kOe) in different temperature ranges and accurately determine their relative magnitudes. The electron-diffuson (e – d) scattering and weak localization (WL) mechanisms, responsible for negative temperature coefficient of resistivity (TCR) for T < Tmin, compete with the positive TCR mechanisms, electron-magnon (e – m) and electron–phonon (e – p) scattering, to produce the resistivity minimum at Tmin. The e – d and WL contributions to ρ, ρe-d and ρwl, dominate over the e – m and e – p contributions, ρe-m and ρe-p, for T<Tmin whereas the reverse is true for T>Tmin. At any given temperature, ρe-d, ρwl and ρe-m decrease while ρe-p increases as the atomic order improves with increasing substrate temperature, TS. ρe-p and ρe-m originate from the phonon-induced non-spin-flip two-band (s↑↓- d↑↓) scattering and magnon - induced spin-flip s - d interband (s↑↓- d↓↑) transitions, respectively. In all the CFAS films, except for the one deposited at TS = 27°C, the thermal renormalization of the spin-wave stiffness, due to the electron - magnon interaction, contributes significantly to ρe-m(T). Furthermore, we demonstrate that the negative magnetoresistance (MR) is a consequence of a progressive suppression of the WL effect and e – m scattering by external magnetic field. However, the WL contribution to MR turns out to be negligibly small as the e – m contribution almost entirely accounts for MR over the temperature range 5K≤T≤300K.

Coupling-induced transparency and absorption in a magnon–multiphoton hybrid system

Coupling-induced transparency (CIT) and absorption (CIA) of transmission signals were experimentally observed in a single planar hybrid structure specially designed to consist of a yttrium iron garnet film and three concentric inverted-split-ring resonators (ISRRs). The observation of both CIT and CIA was ascribed to the cooperative effect of the interaction of magnons with three decoupled ISRRs' photon modes and the traveling waves along the microstripline. An analytical model developed based on the balance between the coherent and dissipative multiple-paths interactions precisely reproduced both CIT and CIA experimentally observed from a single hybrid system. This work, promisingly, can provide guidance for the design of efficient, flexible, and well-controllable magnon–photon hybrid devices that are highly in demand for applications to quantum technologies currently under development.