Precessional Dynamics Research Articles

On the equal-mass limit of precessing black-hole binaries

We analyze the inspiral dynamics of equal-mass precessing black-hole binaries using multi-timescale techniques. The orbit-averaged post-Newtonian evolutionary equations admit two constants of motion in the equal-mass limit, namely the magnitude of the total spin S and the effective spin ξ. This feature makes the entire dynamics qualitatively different compared to the generic unequal-mass case, where only ξ is constant while the variable S parametrizes the precession dynamics. For fixed individual masses and spin magnitudes, an equal-mass black-hole inspiral is uniquely characterized by the two parameters : these two numbers completely determine the entire evolution under the effect of radiation reaction. In particular, for equal-mass binaries we find that (i) the black-hole binary spin morphology is constant throughout the inspiral, and that (ii) the precessional motion of the two black-hole spins about the total spin takes place on a longer timescale than the precession of the total spin and the orbital plane about the total angular momentum.

A Landau‐Lifshitz‐Gilbert‐Type equation and torsion effects on the dynamics of magnetization

Based on the non‐relativistic regime of electrons described by a Dirac equation coupled to a torsion pseudo‐vector, we study the dynamics of magnetization and how it may be affected by the presence of this (background) torsion field. The latter describes some anisotropy of the bulk and it may be accounted for in two ways: by means of a minimal coupling in a covariant derivative endowed with spin connection and a gauge magnetic field; in addition, through a non‐minimal interaction term with the spin density. We show, within this framework, that it is possible to attain a version of the Landau‐Lifshitz equation in presence of the torsion background where its effects are included, re‐enforcing that torsion corresponds to a geometric anisotropy with relevant unfolds on the spin coupling mechanism. We also conclude that the torsion terms can open up two important landscapes in the magnetization dynamics: one of them, related with a damping effect; the other, related with the screw dislocation that gives us a global effect like a sharped‐helix damping. The whole effort here is then to pursue an investigation of torsion in connection with the precession dynamics of the magnetization. image

All-optical detection of magnetization precession in tunnel junctions under applied voltage

An all-optical time-resolved magneto-optical Kerr effect measurement of a micron-sized tunnel junction with a CoFeB electrode was performed. The femtosecond (fs) laser-induced magnetization precession was clearly observed at various magnetic field angles. The frequency f and relaxation time τ of the magnetization precession varied with the voltage applied via a MgO barrier. The precession dynamics were in accordance with Kittel’s ferromagnetic resonance mode, and the voltage-induced changes in f and τ were well explained by the voltage-induced change in the perpendicular magnetic anisotropy of −36 fJ/Vm.

Spin dynamics of magnetic resonance with parametric modulation in a potassium vapor cell**Project supported by the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars of China (Grant No. 61225003), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 61531003 and 61571018), and the National High Technology Research and Development Program of China.

A typical magnetic-resonance scheme employs a static bias magnetic field and an orthogonal driving magnetic field oscillating at the Larmor frequency, at which the atomic polarization precesses around the static magnetic field. Here we demonstrate both theoretically and experimentally the variations of the resonance condition and the spin precession dynamics resulting from the parametric modulation of the bias field. We show that the driving magnetic field with the frequency detuned by different harmonics of the parametric modulation frequency can lead to resonance as well. Also, a series of frequency sidebands centered at the driving frequency and spaced by the parametric modulation frequency can be observed in the precession of the atomic polarization. We further show that the resonant amplitudes of the sidebands can be controlled by varying the ratio between the amplitude and the frequency of the parametric modulation. These effects could be used in different atomic magnetometry applications.

Nonlinear stability analysis for a spin-torque nano-oscillator with a perpendicular spin polarizer: A pendulum-like model

An analytical pendulum-like model is developed to describe the dynamics of spin torque nano-oscillators that contain a perpendicular spin current polarizer combined with an in-plane magnetized free layer. Both the in-plane localized oscillation mode and out-of-plane (OP) large angle precession mode have been observed in the absence of damping effect, which can be attributed to the competition between the in-plane uniaxial anisotropic and demagnetization energies. These two types of dynamical oscillation modes correspond to the spin-transfer torque effect acting as a conservative or non-conservative driving force, respectively. We theoretically predict the critical currents for the excitation of the OP procession mode, which are well consistent with the macrospin simulations based on the Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert equation. Moreover, we show the phase portrait of magnetization precession dynamics at different current and magnetic fields.

Dynamics of a magnetic moment of finite dipolar lattices in the AC field

Dynamic regimes of a magnetic moment of 2 × 2, 3 × 3, and 4 × 4 square dipole lattices in the linearly and circularly polarized ac magnetic field and the perpendicular static field have been investigated. The possibility of regular and chaotic precession dynamics of the magnetic moment of the lattices has been demonstrated. A shift of the main magnetic resonance owing to the dipole–dipole interaction and additional resonances have been revealed. Quasiperiodic regimes and bistability states with a metastable chaotic attractor have been discovered.

A physical mechanism of magnetoreception: Extension and analysis.

Proposed is a general physical mechanism of magnetoreception of weak magnetic fields (MFs). The mechanism is based on classical precessional dynamics of a magnetic moment in a thermally disturbed environment and includes a minimum of necessary parameters-the gyromagnetic ratio, thermal relaxation time, and rate of downstream events generated by changes in the state of the magnetic moment. The mechanism imposes general restrictions on the probability of initial biophysical magnetic transduction event before the involvement of specific biophysical and biochemical mechanisms-i.e., regardless of the nature of an MF target and the subsequent cascade of events. It is shown that biological effects of weak MFs have, in certain cases, nonlinear and frequency selective properties. The observation of these characteristics provides information not only on the target's gyromagnetic ratio, but also on the parameters of its interaction with the immediate environment. This enables one to develop experimental strategies for identifying the biophysical mechanisms of magnetoreception including the specific case of effects of a near-zero MF exposure. The mechanism is universally applicable to magnetic moments of different nature, in particular, of electron and proton orbital motion and of spins. Experimental exposure conditions are derived which would lead to validation of the proposed mechanism. Bioelectromagnetics. 38:41-52, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Application of Terahertz Field Enhancement Effect in Metal Microstructures

Applications of high-field terahertz pulses are attractive in physics and terahertz technology. In this study, two applications related to high-intensity terahertz pulses are demonstrated. The field enhancement effect by subwavelength metallic microstructures is utilized for terahertz excitation measurement. The spin precession dynamics in magnetic materials was induced by a terahertz magnetic field. Spin precession was amplified by one order of magnitude in amplitude by the enhanced magnetic terahertz field in orthoferrite ErFeO3 with metal microstructures. The induced spin dynamics was analyzed and explained by LLG-LCR model. Moreover, a detection method for terahertz pulses was developed using a cholesteric liquid crystal at room temperature without any electronic devices. The beam profile of terahertz pulses was visualized and compared to other methods such as the knife edge method using pyroelectric detector and micro-bolometer array. The liquid crystal terahertz imager is very simple and has good applicability as a portable terahertz-sensing card.

Field-dependent spin waves in high-aspect-ratio single-crystal ferromagnetic nanowires

We investigate the spin wave (SW) modes in high-aspect-ratio single-crystal ferromagnetic nanowires (FMNWs) using an all-optical time-resolved magnetooptical Kerr effect (TR-MOKE) microscope. The precessional magnetization dynamics in such FMNWs unveil the presence of uniform and quantized SW modes that can be tuned by varying the bias magnetic field (H). The frequencies of the modes are observed to decrease systematically with a decreasing magnetic field, and the number of modes in the spectrum is reduced from four to three for H < 0.7 kOe. To understand these results, we perform micromagnetic simulations that reveal the presence of edge, standing wave, and uniform SW modes in the nanowires (NWs). Our simulations clearly show how the standing wave and uniform SW modes coalesce to form a single mode with uniform precession over the entire NW for H < 0.7 kOe, reproducing the experimentally observed reduction in modes. Our study elucidates the possibility of manipulating the SW modes in magnetic nanostructures, which is useful for applications in magnonic and spintronic devices.

Onset of linear instability driven by electric currents in magnetic systems: a Lagrangian approach

A Lagrangian formalism is used to compute the onset of linear instability in magnetic heterostructures subject to two competing dissipative phenomena: the intrinsic damping and the current-induced spin-transfer-torque. The small-amplitude precessional dynamics undergone by the magnetization vector at the excitation threshold is described in terms of linearized Lagrange equations which are recast as a complex generalized non-Hermitian eigenvalue problem. The numerical solution of such a problem allows to characterize those magnetic normal modes which become unstable when the “negative” losses induced by the electric current fully compensate the intrinsic “positive” ones. An illustrative example is also carried out in order to test the capability of the proposed method to determine accurately such an instability threshold when geometric or material properties are varied.

A Dual-Colour Architecture for Pump-Probe Spectroscopy of Ultrafast Magnetization Dynamics in the Sub-10-femtosecond Range

Current time-resolution-limited dynamic measurements clearly show the need for improved techniques to access processes on the sub-10-femtosecond timescale. To access this regime, we have designed and constructed a state-of-the-art time-resolved magneto-optic Kerr effect apparatus, based on a new dual-color scheme, for the measurement of ultrafast demagnetization and precessional dynamics in magnetic materials. This system can operate well below the current temporal ranges reported in the literature, which typically lie in the region of around 50 fs and above. We have used a dual-colour scheme, based on ultra broadband hollow-core fibre and chirped mirror pulse compression techniques, to obtain unprecedented sub-8-fs pump and probe pulse durations at the sample plane. To demonstrate the capabilities of this system for ultrafast demagnetization and precessional dynamics studies, we have performed measurements in a ferrimagnetic GdFeCo thin film. Our study has shown that the magnetization shows a sudden drop within the first picosecond after the pump pulse, a fast recovery (remagnetization) within a few picoseconds, followed by a clear oscillation or precession during a slower magnetization recovery. Moreover, we have experimentally confirmed for the first time that a sub-10-fs pulse is able to efficiently excite a magnetic system such as GdFeCo.

Precession and nutation dynamics of nonlinearly coupled non-coaxial three-dimensional matter wave vortices.

Nonlinearity is the driving force for numerous important effects in nature typically showing transitions between different regimes, regular, chaotic or catastrophic behavior. Localized nonlinear modes have been the focus of intense research in areas such as fluid and gas dynamics, photonics, atomic and solid state physics etc. Due to the richness of the behavior of nonlinear systems and due to the severe numerical demands of accurate three-dimensional (3D) numerical simulations presently only little knowledge is available on the dynamics of complex nonlinear modes in 3D. Here, we investigate the dynamics of 3D non-coaxial matter wave vortices that are trapped in a parabolic potential and interact via a repulsive nonlinearity. Our numerical simulations demonstrate the existence of an unexpected and fascinating nonlinear regime that starts immediately when the nonlinearity is switched-on and is characterized by a smooth dynamics representing torque-free precession with nutations. The reported motion is proven to be robust regarding various effects such as the number of particles, dissipation and trap deformations and thus should be observable in suitably designed experiments. Since our theoretical approach, i.e., coupled nonlinear Schrödinger equations, is quite generic, we expect that the obtained novel dynamical behavior should also exist in other nonlinear systems.

Laser-induced THz magnetization precession for a tetragonal Heusler-like nearly compensated ferrimagnet

Laser-induced magnetization precessional dynamics was investigated in epitaxial films of Mn3Ge, which is a tetragonal Heusler-like nearly compensated ferrimagnet. The ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) mode was observed, the precession frequency for which exceeded 0.5 THz and originated from the large magnetic anisotropy field of approximately 200 kOe for this ferrimagnet. The effective damping constant was approximately 0.03. The corresponding effective Landau-Lifshitz constant is approximately 60 Mrad/s and is comparable with those of the similar Mn-Ga materials. The physical mechanisms for the Gilbert damping and for the laser-induced excitation of the FMR mode were also discussed in terms of the spin-orbit-induced damping and the laser-induced ultrafast modulation of the magnetic anisotropy, respectively.

Precession dynamics of the relativistic electron spin in laser-plasma acceleration

A model is developed to study the precession dynamics of the relativistic electron spin in a laser-plasma accelerator versus the initial energy of the electron and its injection phase. Optimal parameters providing minimum depolarisation of the electron in the acceleration process are determined.

Tunable Magnetization Dynamics in Interfacially Modified Ni81Fe19/Pt Bilayer Thin Film Microstructures.

Interface modification for control of ultrafast magnetic properties using low-dose focused ion beam irradiation is demonstrated for bilayers of two technologically important materials: Ni81Fe19 and Pt. Magnetization dynamics were studied using an all-optical time-resolved magneto-optical Kerr microscopy method. Magnetization relaxation, precession, damping and the spatial coherence of magnetization dynamics were studied. Magnetization precession was fitted with a single-mode damped sinusoid to extract the Gilbert damping parameter. A systematic study of the damping parameter and frequency as a function of irradiation dose varying from 0 to 3.3 pC/μm2 shows a complex dependence upon ion beam dose. This is interpreted in terms of both intrinsic effects and extrinsic two-magnon scattering effects resulting from the expansion of the interfacial region and the creation of a compositionally graded alloy. The results suggest a new direction for the control of precessional magnetization dynamics, and open the opportunity to optimize high-speed magnetic devices.

Comparing post-Newtonian and numerical relativity precession dynamics

Binary black-hole systems are expected to be important sources of gravitational waves for upcoming gravitational-wave detectors. If the spins are not colinear with each other or with the orbital angular momentum, these systems exhibit complicated precession dynamics that are imprinted on the gravitational waveform. We develop a new procedure to match the precession dynamics computed by post-Newtonian (PN) theory to those of numerical binary black-hole simulations in full general relativity. For numerical relativity NR) simulations lasting approximately two precession cycles, we find that the PN and NR predictions for the directions of the orbital angular momentum and the spins agree to better than $\sim 1^{\circ}$ with NR during the inspiral, increasing to $5^{\circ}$ near merger. Nutation of the orbital plane on the orbital time-scale agrees well between NR and PN, whereas nutation of the spin direction shows qualitatively different behavior in PN and NR. We also examine how the PN equations for precession and orbital-phase evolution converge with PN order, and we quantify the impact of various choices for handling partially known PN terms.

Phase field simulation on mechanically induced 180 degree switching in nanomagnets

AbstractThe mechanically induced 180° switching of the magnetization in cylindrical nanomagnets is demonstrated through the switching dynamics simulation by a constraint‐free phase field model which is fully magneto‐mechanical coupled. By using the overrun behavior of the magnetization during the mechanically induced precessional switching, a deterministic 180° switching can be achieved. It is found that the residual torque resulting from the azimuthal‐angle dependence of the magneto‐elastic coupling and the overrun and precessional dynamics are responsible for the switching mechanism. (© 2015 Wiley‐VCH Verlag GmbH &amp; Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Laser‐induced magnetisation dynamics in La0.7Sr0.3MnO3/SrRuO3 superlattices

Laser‐induced magnetisation dynamics of a La0.7Sr0.3MnO3/SrRuO3 superlattice is studied by means of a single‐colour optical pump‐probe technique. Significant differences in the magnetisation dynamics of a superlattice with respect to the single layers of constituent materials are demonstrated. Below the Curie temperature TC of SrRuO3, laser‐induced ultrafast demagnetisation is found to be followed by a uniform precession of the magnetisation around its new equilibrium. The data is described within a simple model based on a displacive excitation of a precessional magnetisation dynamics. The model is shown to give a good fit to the experimental data. As the initial temperature approaches TC, the oscillations get suppressed and eventually vanish. The magnetisation dynamics is shown to depend on whether the two distinct magnetisation vectors in the superlattice are ferromagnetically or antiferromagnetically aligned. (© 2015 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH &amp;Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Noise spectroscopy of CoFeB/MgO/CoFeB magnetic tunnel junctions in the presence of thermal gradients

We present experimental data of the precessional dynamics of the free layer of CoFeB/MgO/CoFeB based magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJ) in the presence of thermal gradients across the MTJ. The free layer precession is investigated by noise spectroscopy. Thermal gradients of the order of tens of mK/nm across the MTJ are generated by electrical heating. Without applied thermal gradients we find spin transfer torque modified magnetization precession. With increasing thermal gradients we generally observe a decrease of the precession frequency which could be related to an increasing overall free layer temperature. However an asymmetry of the line width behavior for parallel and antiparallel orientation points towards additional effects beyond thermal activation. This could be a hint for the modification of the precessional dynamics in magnetic tunnel junctions by thermal spin torques.

Proposal of a Multistate Memory Using Voltage Controlled Magnetic Anisotropy of a Cross-Shaped Ferromagnet

Voltage controlled magnetic anisotropy (VCMA)-induced precessional magnetization dynamics of a cross-shaped ferromagnet (FM) is studied by micromagnetic simulation. A cross-shaped FM, which has four minima in its energy landscape, can be used to store two bits. We show that, by selecting appropriate dimensions and taking into account interfacial perpendicular magnetic anisotropy, the cross-shaped FM can be switched from one state to the other states using VCMA, while the in-plane component of magnetization provides multistate functionality. VCMA-induced switching provides a low-power alternative to spin-transfer-torque switching of a similar cross-shaped FM studied previously. We estimate the thermal stability using the string method to capture the complex micromagnetic nature of the switching along the minimum energy path. The results could be useful toward development of a low-power multistate nonvolatile memory.