arXiv subjects

F. J. Buijnsters

Publications and source records attributed to F. J. Buijnsters.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2017

Nonlinear effects in the propagation of optically generated magnetostatic volume mode spin waves

Recent experimental work has demonstrated optical control of spin wave emission by tuning the shape of the optical pulse (Satoh et al.\ Nature Photonics, 6, 662 (2012)). We reproduce these results and extend the scope of the control by investigating nonlinear effects for large amplitude excitations. We observe an accumulation of spin wave power at the center of the initial excitation combined with short-wavelength spin waves. These kind of nonlinear effects have not been observed in earlier work on nonlinearities of spin waves. Our observations pave the way for the manipulation of magnetic structures at a smaller scale than the beam focus, for instance in devices with all-optical control of magnetism.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2016

Chirality-dependent transmission of spin waves through domain walls

Spin-wave technology (magnonics) has the potential to further reduce the size and energy consumption of information processing devices. In the submicrometer regime (exchange spin waves), topological defects such as domain walls may constitute active elements to manipulate spin waves and perform logic operations. We predict that spin waves that pass through a domain wall in an ultrathin perpendicular-anisotropy film experience a phase shift that depends on the orientation of the domain wall (chirality). The effect, which is absent in bulk materials, originates from the interfacial Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction and can be interpreted as a geometric phase. We demonstrate analytically and by means of micromagnetic simulations that the phase shift is strong enough to switch between constructive and destructive interference. The two chirality states of the domain wall may serve as a memory bit or spin-wave switch in magnonic devices.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2016

Two-dimensional dispersion of magnetostatic volume spin waves

The dipolar (magnetostatic) interaction dominates the behavior of spin waves in magnetic films in the long-wavelength regime. In an in-plane magnetized film, volume modes exist with a negative group velocity (backward volume magnetostatic spin waves), in addition to the forward surface-localized mode (Damon-Eshbach). Inside the film of finite thickness $L$, the volume modes have a nontrivial spatial dependence, and their two-dimensional dispersion relations $ω(\mathbf{k})$ can be calculated only numerically. We present explicit perturbative expressions for the profiles and frequencies of the volume modes, taking into account an in-plane applied field and uniaxial anisotropy, for the regimes $\lVert \mathbf{k}L \rVert \gg 1$ and $\lVert \mathbf{k}L \rVert \ll 1$, which together provide a good indication of the behavior of the modes for arbitrary wavevector $\mathbf{k}$. Moreover, we derive a very accurate semianalytical expression for the dispersion relation $ω(\mathbf{k})$ of the lowest-frequency mode that is straightforward to evaluate using standard numerical routines. Our results are useful to quickly interpret and control the excitation and propagation of spin waves in (opto-)magnetic experiments.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2015

Dirac electrons and domain walls: a realization in junctions of ferromagnets and topological insulators

We study a system of Dirac electrons with finite density of charge carriers coupled to an external electromagnetic field in two spatial dimensions, with a domain wall (DW) mass term. The interface between a thin-film ferromagnet and a three-dimensional topological insulator provides a condensed-matter realization of this model, when an out-of-plane domain wall magnetization is coupled to the TI surface states. We show how, for films with very weak intrinsic in-plane anisotropies, the torque generated by the edge electronic current flowing along the DW competes with an effective in-plane anisotropy energy, induced by quantum fluctuations of the chiral electrons bound to the wall, in a mission to drive the internal angle of the DW from a Bloch configuration towards a Néel configuration. Both the edge current and the induced anisotropy contribute to stabilize the internal angle, so that for weak intrinsic in-plane anisotropies DW motion is still possible without suffering from an extremely early Walker breakdown.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2014

Motion of domain walls and the dynamics of kinks in the magnetic Peierls potential

We study the dynamics of magnetic domain walls in the Peierls potential due to the discreteness of the crystal lattice. The propagation of a narrow domain wall (comparable to the lattice parameter) under the effect of a magnetic field proceeds through the formation of kinks in its profile. We predict that, despite the discreteness of the system, such kinks can behave like sine-Gordon solitons in thin films of materials such as yttrium iron garnets, and we derive general conditions for other materials. In our simulations we also observe long-lived breathers. We provide analytical expressions for the effective mass and limiting velocity of the kink in excellent agreement with our numerical results.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2013

Zero modes in magnetic systems: general theory and an efficient computational scheme

The presence of topological defects in magnetic media often leads to normal modes with zero frequency (zero modes). Such modes are crucial for long-time behavior, describing, for example, the motion of a domain wall as a whole. Conventional numerical methods to calculate the spin-wave spectrum in magnetic media are either inefficient or they fail for systems with zero modes. We present a new efficient computational scheme that reduces the magnetic normal-mode problem to a generalized Hermitian eigenvalue problem also in the presence of zero modes. We apply our scheme to several examples, including two-dimensional domain walls and Skyrmions, and show how the effective masses that determine the dynamics can be calculated directly. These systems highlight the fundamental distinction between the two types of zero modes that can occur in spin systems, which we call special and inertial zero modes. Our method is suitable for both conservative and dissipative systems. For the latter case, we present a perturbative scheme to take into account damping, which can also be used to calculate dynamical susceptibilities.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗