Three-dimensional spin-wave dynamics, localization and interference in a synthetic antiferromagnet

Abstract

Spin waves are collective perturbations in the orientation of the magnetic moments in magnetically ordered materials. Their rich phenomenology is intrinsically three dimensional, from the trajectory of the spin precession during their propagation, to the profiles of the spin-wave mode throughout the volume of the magnetic system. This gives rise to novel complex phenomena with high potential for applications in the field of magnonics. However, the three-dimensional imaging of spin waves, key to understanding and harnessing these phenomena, has so far not been possible. Here, we image the three-dimensional dynamics of spin waves excited in a synthetic antiferromagnet, with nanoscale spatial resolution and sub-ns temporal resolution, using time-resolved magnetic laminography. In this way, we map the distribution of the spin-wave modes throughout the volume of the structure, revealing unexpected depth-dependent profiles originating from the interlayer dipolar interaction. We experimentally demonstrate the existence of complex three-dimensional interference patterns, and analyze them via micromagnetic modelling. We find that these patterns are generated by the superposition of spin waves with non-uniform amplitude profiles, and that their features can be controlled by tuning the composition and structure of the magnetic system. Our results open unforeseen possibilities for the study of complex spin-wave modes and their interaction within nanostructures, and for the generation and manipulation of three-dimensional spin-wave landscapes for the design of novel functions in magnonic devices.Comment: 15 pages, 4 figure