Long-range spin-wave propagation in transversely magnetized nano-scaled conduits

• Published in: arXiv.org
• Main Authors: Heinz, Björn, Wang, Qi, Schneider, Michael, Weiß, Elisabeth, Lentfert, Akira, Lägel, Bert, Brächer, Thomas, Dubs, Carsten, Dobrovolskiy, Oleksandr V, Pirro, Philipp, Chumak, Andrii V
• Format: Paper Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Ithaca Cornell University Library, arXiv.org 25.01.2021
• Subjects: Chirality; Computer architecture; Conduits; Decay; Group velocity; Light scattering; Magnons; Physics - Applied Physics; Physics - Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics; Propagation; Reciprocity; Wave groups; Wave propagation; Yttrium; Yttrium-iron garnet
• ISSN: 2331-8422
• DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.2101.10192

Magnonics attracts increasing attention in the view of novel low-energy computation technologies based on spin waves. Recently, spin-wave propagation in longitudinally magnetized nano-scaled spin-wave conduits was demonstrated, proving the fundamental feasibility of magnonics at the sub-100 nm scale. Transversely magnetized nano-conduits, which are of great interest in this regard as they offer a large group velocity and a potentially chirality-based protected transport of energy, have not yet been investigated due to their complex internal magnetic field distribution. Here, we present a study of propagating spin waves in a transversely magnetized nanoscopic yttrium iron garnet conduit of 50 nm width. Space and time-resolved micro-focused Brillouin-light-scattering spectroscopy is employed to measure the spin-wave group velocity and decay length. A long-range spin-wave propagation is observed with a decay length of up to (8.0+-1.5) {\mu}m and a large spin-wave lifetime of up to (44.7+-9.1) ns. The results are supported with micromagnetic simulations, revealing a single-mode dispersion relation in contrast to the common formation of localized edge modes for microscopic systems. Furthermore, a frequency non-reciprocity for counter-propagating spin waves is observed in the simulations and the experiment, caused by the trapezoidal cross-section of the structure. The revealed long-distance spin-wave propagation on the nanoscale is particularly interesting for an application in spin-wave devices, allowing for long-distance transport of information in magnonic circuits, as well as novel low-energy device architectures.