Time-resolved investigation of magnetization dynamics of arrays of non-ellipsoidal nanomagnets with a non-uniform ground state

We have performed time-resolved scanning Kerr microscopy (TRSKM) measurements upon arrays of square ferromagnetic nano-elements of different size and for a range of bias fields. The experimental results were compared to micromagnetic simulations of model arrays in order to understand the non-uniform precessional dynamics within the elements. In the experimental spectra two branches of excited modes were observed to co-exist above a particular bias field. Below the so-called crossover field, the higher frequency branch was observed to vanish. Micromagnetic simulations and Fourier imaging revealed that modes from the higher frequency branch had large amplitude at the center of the element where the effective field was parallel to the bias field and the static magnetization. Modes from the lower frequency branch had large amplitude near the edges of the element perpendicular to the bias field. The simulations revealed significant canting of the static magnetization and the effective field away from the direction of the bias field in the edge regions. For the smallest element sizes and/or at low bias field values the effective field was found to become anti-parallel to the static magnetization. The simulations revealed that the majority of the modes were de-localized with finite amplitude throughout the element, while the spatial character of a mode was found to be correlated with the spatial variation of the total effective field and the static magnetization state. The simulations also revealed that the frequencies of the edge modes are strongly affected by the spatial distribution of the static magnetization state both within an element and within its nearest neighbors

Excitation and Imaging of Precessional Modes in Soft-Magnetic Squares

Copyright © 2008 IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. Permission from IEEE must be obtained for all other users, including reprinting/ republishing this material for advertising or promotional purposes, creating new collective works for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or reuse of any copyrighted components of this work in other works.We investigated the high-frequency modes of 40 mum wide, 160 nm thick Fe 70Co8B12Si10 squares using time-resolved scanning Kerr microscopy. Two modes were identified using pulsed field excitation while the spatial character of the out-of-plane and in-plane magnetization component was investigated using harmonic field excitation. The field dependence of the two modes has been fitted using the Damon-Eshbach model

Imaging collective magnonic modes in 2D arrays of magnetic nanoelements

Copyright © 2010 The American Physical SocietyWe have used time resolved scanning Kerr microscopy to image collective spin wave modes within a 2D array of magnetic nanoelements. Long wavelength spin waves are confined within the array as if it was a continuous element of the same size but with effective material properties determined by the structure of the array and its constituent nanoelements. The array is an example of a magnonic metamaterial, the demonstration of which provides new opportunities within the emerging field of magnonics

Time- and vector-resolved magneto-optical Kerr effect measurements of large angle precessional reorientation in a 2×2 μ m2 ferromagnet

Copyright © 2009 American Institute of PhysicsThe precessional dynamics of a 2×2 μm2 CoFe/NiFe (4.6 nm) element stimulated by an in-plane pulsed magnetic field have been investigated using time- and vector-resolved Kerr microscopy measurements and micromagnetic simulations. The time-resolved signals were normalized to in-plane hysteresis loops obtained from the patterned material, and suggest that the magnetization reorients through an angle of 100°±10°. The simulations reveal that only the magnetization of the center region undergoes large angle reorientation, while the canted magnetization at the edges of the element remains pinned. An enhanced Gilbert damping parameter of 0.1 was required to reproduce the experimentally observed Kerr signals

Nonlinear Optical Response in two-dimensional Mott Insulators

We study the third-order nonlinear optical susceptibility $\chi^{(3)}$ and photoexcited states of two-dimensional (2D) Mott insulators by using an effective model in the strong-coupling limit of a half-filled Hubbard model. In the numerically exact diagonalization calculations on finite-size clusters, we find that the coupling of charge and spin degrees of freedom plays a crucial role in the distribution of the dipole-allowed states with odd parity and the dipole-forbidden states with even parity in the photoexcited states. This is in contrast with the photoexcited states in one dimension, where the charge and spin degrees of freedom are decoupled. In the third-harmonic generation (THG) spectrum, main contribution is found to come from the process of three-photon resonance associated with the odd-parity states. As a result, the two-photon resonance process is less pronounced in the THG spectrum. The calculated THG spectrum is compared with recent experimental data. We also find that $\chi^{(3)}$ with cross-polarized configuration of pump and probe photons shows spectral distributions similar to $\chi^{(3)}$ with co-polarized configuration, although the weight is small. These findings will help the analyses of the experimental data of $\chi^{(3)}$ in the 2D Mott insulators.Comment: 9 pages,5 figures,RevTeX

Resonant enhancement of damping within the free layer of a microscale magnetic tunnel valve

Copyright © 2015 American Institute of Physics. This article may be downloaded for personal use only. Any other use requires prior permission of the author and the American Institute of Physics. The following article appeared in Journal of Applied Physics Vol. 117, article 17B301 and may be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4907701Picosecond magnetization dynamics in the free and pinned layers of a microscale magnetic tunnel valve have been studied using time-resolved scanning Kerr microscopy. A comparison of the observed dynamics with those of individual free and pinned layers allowed the effect of interlayer coupling to be identified. A weak interlayer coupling in the tunnel valve continuous film reference sample was detected in bulk magnetometry measurements, while focused Kerr magnetometry showed that the coupling was well maintained in the patterned structure. In the tunnel valve, the free layer precession was observed to have reduced amplitude and an enhanced relaxation. During magnetization reversal in the pinned layer, its frequency approached that of the low frequency mode associated with the free layer. At the pinned layer switching field, the linewidth of the free layer became similar to that of the pinned layer. The similarity in their frequencies promotes the formation of precessional modes that exhibit strong collective properties such as frequency shifting and enhanced linewidth, while inhomogeneous magnetization of the pinned layer during reversal may also play a role in these observations. The collective character of precessional dynamics associated with mixing of the free and pinned layer magnetization dynamics must be accounted for even in tunnel valves with a small interlayer coupling.Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)European Community's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013

Imaging small-amplitude magnetization dynamics in a longitudinally magnetized microwire

Copyright © 2008 The American Physical SocietyWe have used time-resolved scanning Kerr microscopy to study spin waves in a magnetic microwire subjected to a bias magnetic field applied parallel to its long axis. The spin-wave spectra obtained from different points near one end of the wire reveal several normal modes. We found that modes of a higher frequency occupied regions located further from the end of the wire. This was interpreted in terms of the confinement of the spin-wave modes by a nonuniform demagnetizing field. Furthermore, at a particular distance from the end of the wire, two or more modes occupying different regions along the width of the wire were observed. This was interpreted in terms of the confinement of the spin-wave modes due to an asymmetric variation in the local angle between the static magnetization and the effective direction of the wave vector of the confined modes. Images of the dynamic magnetization that are acquired at fixed pump-probe time delays revealed stripes lying perpendicular to the long axis of the wire and, hence, to the applied magnetic field. We interpret the stripe pattern in terms of a collective mode of the quasiperiodic system of ripple domains existing within the polycrystalline sample. Cur results give an additional insight into the connection between the nonuniform static magnetic state in small magnetic elements and their precessional dynamics, which is fundamentally important for the design of future high-speed switching and spin-wave logic devices of magnonics

The spin polarization of Mn atoms in paramagnetic CuMn alloys induced by a Co layer

Copyright © 2009 American Institute of PhysicsUsing the surface, interface, and element specificity of x-ray resonant magnetic scattering in combination with x-ray magnetic circular dichroism, we have spatially resolved the polarization, and hence the spin accumulation in Mn high susceptibility material in close proximity to a ferromagnetic layer. The magnetic polarization of Mn and Cu 3d electrons in paramagnetic CuMn layers is detected in a Co/Cu x /CuMn structure for varying copper layer thicknesses x . The size of the Mn and Cu L2–3-edge dichroism shows a decrease in the polarization for increasing copper thickness indicating the dominant interfacial nature of the Cu and Mn spin polarization. The Mn polarization appears to be much higher than that of Cu

Hole distribution for (Sr,Ca,Y,La)_14 Cu_24 O_41 ladder compounds studied by x-ray absorption spectroscopy

The unoccupied electronic structure for the Sr_14Cu_24O_41 family of two-leg ladder compounds was investigated for different partial substitutions of Sr^2+ by Ca^2+, leaving the nominal hole count constant, and by Y^3+ or La^3+, reducing the nominal hole count from its full value of 6 per formula unit. Using polarization-dependent x-ray absorption spectroscopy on single crystals, hole states on both the chain and ladder sites could be studied. While for intermediate hole counts all holes reside on O sites of the chains, a partial hole occupation on the ladder sites in orbitals oriented along the legs is observed for the fully doped compound Sr_14Cu_24O_41. On substitution of Ca for Sr orbitals within the ladder planes but perpendicular to the legs receive some hole occupation as well.Comment: 10 pages RevTeX style with 7 embedded figures + 1 table; accepted by Phys. Rev.

Dispersion of the dielectric function of a charge-transfer insulator

We study the problem of dielectric response in the strong coupling regime of a charge transfer insulator. The frequency and wave number dependence of the dielectric function $\epsilon ({\bf q},\omega)$ and its inverse $\epsilon ^{-1}({\bf q},\omega)$ is the main object of consideration. We show that the problem, in general, cannot be reduced to a calculation within the Hubbard model, which takes into account only a restricted number of electronic states near the Fermi energy. The contribution of the rest of the system to the longitudinal response (i.e. to $\epsilon ^{-1}({\bf q},\omega)$) is essential for the whole frequency range. With the use of the spectral representation of the two-particle Green's function we show that the problem may be divided into two parts: into the contributions of the weakly correlated and the Hubbard subsystems. For the latter we propose an approach that starts from the correlated paramagnetic ground state with strong antiferromagnetic fluctuations. We obtain a set of coupled equations of motion for the two-particle Green's function that may be solved by means of the projection technique. The solution is expressed by a two particle basis that includes the excitonic states with electron and hole separated at various distances. We apply our method to the multiband Hubbard (Emery) model that describes layered cuprates. We show that strongly dispersive branches exist in the excitonic spectrum of the 'minimal' Emery model ($1/U_d=U_p=t_{pp}=0$) and consider the dependence of the spectrum on finite oxygen hopping $t_{pp}$ and on-site repulsion $U_p$. The relationship of our calculations to electron energy loss spectroscopy is discussed.Comment: 22 pages, 5 figure