arXiv subjects

Kab-Jin Kim

Publications and source records attributed to Kab-Jin Kim.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Observation of current-induced orbital quadrupole accumulation

Spintronics and orbitronics rely on current-induced accumulations of magnetic dipoles: spin and orbital angular momentum. However, electronic orbitals inherently carry multipoles beyond the dipole, with the rank-2 orbital quadrupole as the leading term. Here we use polarization-resolved Kerr microscopy to observe current-induced orbital-quadrupole accumulation at the surfaces of Ti and Pt, metals with markedly different spin--orbit-coupling strengths. By separating the symmetric and antisymmetric components of the off-diagonal optical conductivity, we isolate the time-reversal-even quadrupolar response from the conventional time-reversal-odd magnetic-dipolar one, and find that the quadrupolar optical response exceeds the dipolar one in both metals. First-principles analysis of the measured responses indicates that the quadrupole accumulations are of the same order of magnitude in the two metals despite their widely different spin--orbit-coupling strengths, consistent with a previously unidentified channel of charge-to-orbital conversion that does not require spin--orbit coupling. Our findings establish that current-induced orbital polarization is fundamentally multipolar, expanding current-induced phenomena from the dipolar to the multipolar regime and opening a route to electrical control of orbital-ordered phases.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2026

Strong coupling between propagating spin wave and microwave photons in a superconducting resonator

We demonstrate strong coupling between propagating spin wave modes and microwave photons in superconducting resonator-magnetic thin film hybrid circuits. By fabricating the resonator directly on yttrium iron garnet thin films grown on rare-earth-free Y$_3$Sc$_2$Ga$_3$O$_{12}$ substrates, we achieve strong coupling of both Damon-Eshbach and backward-volume spin wave modes to the resonator, with coupling strengths exceeding both the magnon and photon damping rates. Furthermore, we observe nonreciprocal spin wave radiation of the hybrid magnonic mode in the Damon-Eshbach configuration, highlighting the potential for incorporating intrinsic spin-wave nonreciprocity into hybrid magnonic systems. These results open new avenues for integrating spin-wave magnonics with cavity magnonics, and for harnessing spin waves for potential applications in quantum information science.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2025

Unidirectional gliding of a cycloidal spin structure by an AC magnetic field

The dynamics of a cycloidal spin structure driven by an AC magnetic field is theoretically studied in the weak-field limit. A specific model Hamiltonian describing the cycloidal spin structure in a ferromagnetic thin film is constructed, and its dynamics is analyzed using the collective-coordinate approach within the Lagrangian formalism. We demonstrate that the cycloidal spin structure exhibits a unidirectional gliding motion under an AC magnetic field, and an expression for the average velocity is derived as a function of the magnitude, the direction, and the frequency of the AC magnetic field. We compare our theoretical predictions with the results of micromagnetic simulations and identify two resonance frequencies determined by the eigenenergies of the excitation modes. Furthermore, evaluating spin motive forces induced by the dynamics reveals a substantial DC voltage, which may be exploited in energy-harvesting devices utilizing ambient electromagnetic radiation.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2025

Effect of Magnetic Anisotropy on Magnetoelastic Waves in Ni/LiNbO3 Hybrid Device

We study the effects of magnetic anisotropy and crystalline axes in surface acoustic waves (SAWs) driven magnetic resonances of Ni/LiNbO3 hybrid devices. SAW absorption from the interaction with magnons in Ni displays a strong anisotropic dependence on the direction of the applied in-plane magnetic field. Magnetic anisotropy is further investigated by magneto-optical Kerr effect measurements to show both uniaxial and biaxial anisotropy components in Ni films on LiNbO3. By introducing a dipolar interaction term in addition to the anisotropies, we successfully explain the anisotropic SAW absorption in our devices. These findings show the importance of substrate-induced anisotropy and long-range dipolar effects in SAW-magnons hybrid devices and indicate future directions for optimizing these spin-acoustic devices through comprehensive anisotropy engineering.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2023

Programmable Real-Time Magnon Interference in Two Remotely Coupled Magnonic Resonators

Magnon interference is a signature of coherent magnon interactions for coherent information processing. In this work, we demonstrate programmable real-time magnon interference, with examples of nearly perfect constructive and destructive interference, between two remotely coupled yttrium iron garnet spheres mediated by a coplanar superconducting resonator. Exciting one of the coupled resonators by injecting single- and double-microwave pulse leads to the coherent energy exchange between the remote magnonic resonators and allows us to realize a programmable magnon interference that can define an arbitrary state of coupled magnon oscillation. The demonstration of time-domain coherent control of remotely coupled magnon dynamics offers new avenues for advancing coherent information processing with circuit-integrated hybrid magnonic networks.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2022

Efficient conversion of orbital Hall current to spin current for spin-orbit torque switching

Spin Hall effect, an electric generation of spin current, allows for efficient control of magnetization. Recent theory revealed that orbital Hall effect creates orbital current, which can be much larger than spin Hall-induced spin current. However, orbital current cannot directly exert a torque on a ferromagnet, requiring a conversion process from orbital current to spin current. Here, we report two effective methods of the conversion through spin-orbit coupling engineering, which allows us to unambiguously demonstrate orbital-current-induced spin torque, or orbital Hall torque. We find that orbital Hall torque is greatly enhanced by introducing either a rare-earth ferromagnet Gd or a Pt interfacial layer with strong spin-orbit coupling in Cr/ferromagnet structures, indicating that the orbital current generated in Cr is efficiently converted into spin current in the Gd or Pt layer. Furthermore, we show that the orbital Hall torque can facilitate the reduction of switching current of perpendicular magnetization in spin-orbit-torque-based spintronic devices.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2021

Identifying intrinsic and extrinsic mechanisms of anisotropic magnetoresistance with terahertz probes

Identifying the intrinsic and extrinsic origins of magneto-transport in spin-orbit coupled systems has long been a central theme in condensed matter physics. However, it has been elusive owing to the lack of an appropriate experimental tool. In this work, using terahertz time-domain spectroscopy, we unambiguously disentangle the intrinsic and extrinsic contributions to the anisotropic magnetoresistance (AMR) of a permalloy film. We find that the scattering-independent intrinsic contribution to AMR is sizable and is as large as the scattering-dependent extrinsic contribution to AMR. Moreover, the portion of intrinsic contribution to total AMR increases with increasing temperature due to the reduction of extrinsic contribution. Further investigation reveals that the reduction of extrinsic contribution is caused by the phonon/magnon-induced negative AMR. Our result will stimulate further researches on other spin-orbit-interaction-induced phenomena for which identifying the intrinsic and extrinsic contributions is important.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2020

The dynamics of a domain wall in ferrimagnets driven by spin-transfer torque

The spin-transfer-torque-driven (STT-driven) dynamics of a domain wall in an easy-axis rare-earth transition-metal ferrimagnet is investigated theoretically and numerically in the vicinity of the angular momentum compensation point $T_A$, where the net spin density vanishes. The particular focus is given on the unusual interaction of the antiferromagnetic dynamics of a ferrimagnetic domain wall and the adiabatic component of STT, which is absent in antiferromagnets but exists in the ferrimagnets due to the dominant coupling of conduction electrons to transition-metal spins. Specifically, we first show that the STT-induced domain-wall velocity changes its sign across $T_A$ due to the sign change of the net spin density, giving rise to a phenomenon unique to ferrimagnets that can be used to characterize $T_A$ electrically. It is also shown that the frequency of the STT-induced domain-wall precession exhibits its maximum at $T_A$ and it can approach the spin-wave gap at sufficiently high currents. Lastly, we report a numerical observation that, as the current density increases, the domain-wall velocity starts to deviate from the linear-response result, calling for a more comprehensive theory for the domain-wall dynamics in ferrimagnets driven by a strong current.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2019

Perfect optical absorption-enhanced magneto-optic Kerr effect microscopy

Magnetic and spintronic media have offered fundamental scientific subjects and technological applications. Magneto-optic Kerr effect (MOKE) microscopy provides the most accessible platform to study the dynamics of spins, magnetic quasi-particles, and domain walls. However, in the research of nanoscale spin textures and state-of-the-art spintronic devices, optical techniques are generally restricted by the extremely weak magneto-optical activity and diffraction limit. Highly sophisticated, expensive electron microscopy and scanning probe methods thus have come to the forefront. Here, we show that perfect optical absorption (POA) dramatically improves the performance and functionality of MOKE microscopy. For 1-nm-thin Co film, we demonstrate a Kerr amplitude as large as 20 degree and magnetic domain imaging visibility of 0.47. Especially, POA-enhanced MOKE microscopy enables real-time detection and statistical analysis of sub-wavelength magnetic domain reversals. Furthermore, we exploit enhanced magneto-optic birefringence and demonstrate analyser-free MOKE microscopy. The POA technique is promising for optical investigations and applications of nanomagnetic systems.

physics.optics↗

arXiv2019

Temperature dependence of magnetic resonance in ferrimagnetic GdFeCo alloys

We provide a macroscopic theory and experimental results for magnetic resonances of antiferromagnetically-coupled ferrimagnets. Our theory, which interpolates the dynamics of antiferromagnets and ferromagnets smoothly, can describe ferrimagnetic resonances across the angular momentum compensation point. We also present experimental results for spin-torque induced ferrimagnetic resonance at several temperatures. The spectral analysis based on our theory reveals that the Gilbert damping parameter, which has been considered to be strongly temperature dependent, is insensitive to temperature. We envision that our work will facilitate further investigation of ferrimagnetic dynamics by providing a theoretical framework suitable for a broad range of temperatures.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2019

Prediction of topological Hall effect in a driven magnetic domain wall

We investigate the possible emergence of topological Hall effect (THE) in a driven magnetic DW. Numerical simulation based on the Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert-Slonczewski (LLGS) equation shows that the emergent magnetic flux appears when the DW is in a non-equilibrium state. The magnitude of magnetic flux is modulated by Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI) or in-plane longitudinal magnetic field, providing an experimental test of the predicted THE. These results indicate that the THE can be observed even in a topologically trivial magnetic DW, and therefore open up new possibility to electrically detect the dynamical spin structure.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2019

Spin-transfer torques for domain walls in antiferromagnetically coupled ferrimagnets

Antiferromagnetic materials are outstanding candidates for next generation spintronic applications, because their ultrafast spin dynamics makes it possible to realize several orders of magnitude higher-speed devices than conventional ferromagnetic materials1. Though spin-transfer torque (STT) is a key for electrical control of spins as successfully demonstrated in ferromagnetic spintronics, experimental understanding of STT in antiferromagnets has been still lacking despite a number of pertinent theoretical studies2-5. Here, we report experimental results on the effects of STT on domain-wall (DW) motion in antiferromagnetically-coupled ferrimagnets. We find that non-adiabatic STT acts like a staggered magnetic field and thus can drive DWs effectively. Moreover, the non-adiabaticity parameter β of STT is found to be significantly larger than the Gilbert damping parameter α, challenging our conventional understanding of the non-adiabatic STT based on ferromagnets as well as leading to fast current-induced antiferromagnetic DW motion. Our study will lead to further vigorous exploration of STT for antiferromagnetic spin textures for fundamental physics on spin-charge interaction as wells for efficient electrical control of antiferromagnetic devices.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2018

Low magnetic damping of ferrimagnetic GdFeCo alloys

We investigate the Gilbert damping parameter for rare earth (RE)-transition metal (TM) ferrimagnets over a wide temperature range. Extracted from the field-driven magnetic domain-wall mobility, the Gilbert damping parameter was as low as 0.0072 and was almost constant across the angular momentum compensation temperature, starkly contrasting previous predictions that the Gilbert damping parameter should diverge at the angular momentum compensation temperature due to vanishing total angular momentum. Thus, magnetic damping of RE-TM ferrimagnets is not related to the total angular momentum but is dominated by electron scattering at the Fermi level where the TM has a dominant damping role.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2017

Correlation between Compensation Temperatures of Magnetization and Angular Momentum in GdFeCo Ferrimagnets

Determining the angular momentum compensation temperature of ferrimagnets is an important step towards ferrimagnetic spintronics, but is not generally easy to achieve it experimentally. We propose a way to estimate the angular momentum compensation temperature of ferrimagnets. We find a linear relation between the compensation temperatures of the magnetization and angular momentum in GdFeCo ferrimagnetic materials, which is proved by theoretically as well as experimentally. The linearity comes from the power-law criticality and is governed by the Curie temperature and the Landé g factors of the elements composing the ferrimagnets. Therefore, measuring the magnetization compensation temperature and the Curie temperature, which are easily assessable experimentally, enables to estimate the angular momentum compensation temperature of ferrimagnets. Our study provides efficient avenues into an exciting world of ferrimagnetic spintronics.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2017

Coherent Terahertz Spin-Wave Emission Associated with Ferrimagnetic Domain Wall Dynamics

We theoretically study the dynamics of ferrimagnetic domain walls in the presence of Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction. We find that an application of a DC magnetic field can induce terahertz spin-wave emission by driving ferrimagnetic domain walls, which is not possible for ferromagnetic or antiferromagnetic domain walls. Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction is shown to facilitate the teraherz spin-wave emission in wide ranges of net angular momentum by increasing the Walkerbreakdown field. Moreover, we show that spin-orbit torque combined with Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction also drives a fast ferrimagnetic domain wall motion with emitting terahertz spin-waves in wide ranges of net angular momentum.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2017

Distinct domain-wall motion between creep and flow regimes near the angular momentum compensation temperature of ferrimagnet

We investigate a magnetic domain-wall (DW) motion in two dynamic regimes, creep and flow regimes, near the angular momentum compensation temperature (T_A) of ferrimagnet. In the flow regime, the DW speed shows sharp increase at T_A due to the emergence of antiferromagnetic DW dynamics. In the creep regime, however, the DW speed exhibits a monotonic increase with increasing the temperature. This result suggests that, in the creep regime, the thermal activation process governs the DW dynamics even near T_A. Our result unambiguously shows the distinct behavior of ferrimagnetic DW motion depending on the dynamic regime, which is important for emerging ferrimagnet-based spintronic applications.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2017

Origin of threshold current density for asymmetric magnetoresistance in Pt/Py bilayers

An asymmetric magnetoresistance (MR) is investigated in Py/Pt bilayers. The asymmetric MR linearly increases with current density up to a threshold, and increases more rapidly above the threshold. To reveal the origin of threshold behavior, we investigate the magnetic field dependence of the asymmetric MR. It is found that the magnetic field strongly suppresses the asymmetric MR only above the threshold current density. Micromagnetic simulation reveals that the reduction of magnetization due to the spin-torque oscillation can be the origin of the threshold behavior of asymmetric MR.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2017

Contributions of Co and Fe orbitals to Perpendicular Magnetic Anisotropy of MgO/CoFeB Bilayers with Spin-Orbit-Torque-Related (Ta, W, IrMn, and Ti) Underlayers

We study the perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) of the CoFeB/MgO bilayers in contact with W, Ta, IrMn and Ti which has been suggested as the spin-orbit-torque-related underlayers. The saturation magnetization of the CoFeB depends on the underlayer materials due to formation of a dead-layer, affecting PMA strength of each film. The x-ray magnetic circular dichroism measurement reveals that the interfacial intermixing suppresses only the perpendicular orbital moment of Fe, while the intermixing simultaneously suppresses both the perpendicular and in-plane orbital moments of Co.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗