arXiv subjects

T. Brächer

Publications and source records attributed to T. Brächer.

12 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2020

Bose-Einstein Condensation of Quasi-Particles by Rapid Cooling

The fundamental phenomenon of Bose-Einstein Condensation (BEC) has been observed in different systems of real and quasi-particles. The condensation of real particles is achieved through a major reduction in temperature while for quasi-particles a mechanism of external injection of bosons by irradiation is required. Here, we present a novel and universal approach to enable BEC of quasi-particles and to corroborate it experimentally by using magnons as the Bose-particle model system. The critical point to this approach is the introduction of a disequilibrium of magnons with the phonon bath. After heating to an elevated temperature, a sudden decrease in the temperature of the phonons, which is approximately instant on the time scales of the magnon system, results in a large excess of incoherent magnons. The consequent spectral redistribution of these magnons triggers the Bose-Einstein condensation.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2019

Integrated magnonic half-adder

Spin waves and their quanta magnons open up a promising branch of high-speed and low-power information processing. Several important milestones were achieved recently in the realization of separate magnonic data processing units including logic gates, a magnon transistor and units for non-Boolean computing. Nevertheless, the realization of an integrated magnonic circuit consisting of at least two logic gates and suitable for further integration is still an unresolved challenge. Here we demonstrate such an integrated circuit numerically on the example of a magnonic half-adder. Its key element is a nonlinear directional coupler serving as combined XOR and AND logic gate that utilizes the dependence of the spin wave dispersion on its amplitude. The circuit constitutes of only three planar nano-waveguides and processes all information within the magnon domain. Benchmarking of the proposed device is performed showing the potential for sub-aJ energy consumption per operation.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2019

Spin pinning and spin-wave dispersion in nanoscopic ferromagnetic waveguides

Spin waves are investigated in Yttrium Iron Garnet (YIG) waveguides with a thickness of 39 nm and widths ranging down to 50 nm, i.e., with aspect ratios thickness over width approaching unity, using Brillouin Light Scattering spectroscopy. The experimental results are verified by a semi-analytical theory and micromagnetic simulations. A critical width is found, below which the exchange interaction suppresses the dipolar pinning phenomenon. This changes the quantization criterion for the spin-wave eigenmodes and results in a pronounced modification of the spin-wave characteristics. The presented semi-analytical theory allows for the calculation of spin-wave mode profiles and dispersion relations in nano-structures.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2019

Magnon-Fluxon interaction in a ferromagnet/superconductor heterostructure

Ferromagnetism and superconductivity are most fundamental phenomena in condensed matter physics. Entailing opposite spin orders, they share an important conceptual similarity: Disturbances in magnetic ordering in magnetic materials can propagate in the form of spin waves (magnons) while magnetic fields penetrate superconductors as a lattice of magnetic flux quanta (fluxons). Despite a rich choice of wave and quantum phenomena predicted, magnon-fluxon coupling has not been observed experimentally so far. Here, we clearly evidence the interaction of spin waves with a flux lattice in ferromagnet/superconductor Py/Nb bilayers. We demonstrate that, in this system, the magnon frequency spectrum exhibits a Bloch-like band structure which can be tuned by the biasing magnetic field. Furthermore, we observe Doppler shifts in the frequency spectra of spin waves scattered on a flux lattice moving under the action of a transport current in the superconductor.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2017

Characterization of Spin-Transfer-Torque effect induced magnetization dynamics driven by short current pulses

We present a time-resolved study of the magnetization dynamics in a microstructured Cr$|$Heusler$|$Pt waveguide driven by the Spin-Hall-Effect and the Spin-Transfer-Torque effect via short current pulses. In particular, we focus on the determination of the threshold current at which the spin-wave damping is compensated. We have developed a novel method based on the temporal evolution of the magnon density at the beginning of an applied current pulse at which the magnon density deviates from the thermal level. Since this method does not depend on the signal-to-noise ratio, it allows for a robust and reliable determination of the threshold current which is important for the characterization of any future application based on the Spin-Transfer-Torque effect.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2017

Spin-Wave versus Joule Heating in Spin-Hall-Effect/Spin-Transfer-Torque Driven Cr/Heusler/Pt Waveguides

We present a time-resolved study of the DC-current driven magnetization dynamics in a microstructured Cr/Heusler/Pt waveguide by means of Brillouin light scattering. A reduction of the effective spin-wave damping via the spin-transfer-torque effect leads to a strong increase in the magnon density. This is accompanied by a decrease of the spin-wave frequencies. By evaluating the time scales of these effects, the origin of this frequency shift can be identified. However, recently, we found that the experimental setup partially influences the decay of the spin-wave intensity after the current pulse is switched off. Thus, further investigations on the presented effect are needed to allow for a more detailed analysis. For this reason, we need to withdraw the manuscript at this point and might publish an updated version later.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2017

Frequency shift keying by current modulation in a MTJ-based STNO with high data rate

Spin torque nano-oscillators are nanoscopic microwave frequency generators which excel due to their large frequency tuning range and agility for amplitude and frequency modulation. Due to their compactness, they are regarded as suitable candidates for applications in wireless communications, where cost-effective and CMOS-compatible standalone devices are required. In this work, we study the ability of a magnetic-tunnel-junction (MTJ) based spin torque nano-oscillator to respond to a binary input sequence encoded in a square-shaped current pulse for its application as a frequency-shift-keying (FSK) based emitter. We demonstrate that below the limit imposed by the spin torque nano-oscillators intrinsic relaxation frequency, an agile variation between discrete oscillator states is possible. For this kind of devices, we demonstrate FSK up to data rates of 400 Mbps which is well suited for the application of such scillators in wireless networks.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2017

Excitation and detection of short-waved spin waves in ultrathin Ta/CoFeB/MgO-layer system suitable for spin-orbit-torque magnonics

We report on the excitation and detection of short-waved spin waves with wave vectors up to about $40\,\mathrm{rad}\,μ\mathrm{m}^{-1}$ in spin-wave waveguides made from ultrathin, in-plane magnetized Co$_{8}$Fe$_{72}$B$_{20}$ (CoFeB). The CoFeB is incorporated in a layer stack of Ta/CoFeB/Mgo, a layer system featuring large spin orbit torques and a large perpendicular magnetic anisotropy constant. The short-waved spin waves are excited by nanometric coplanar waveguides and are detected via spin rectification and microfocussed Brillouin light scattering spectroscopy. We show that the large perpendicular magnetic anisotropy benefits the spin-wave lifetime greatly, resulting in a lifetime comparable to bulk systems without interfacial damping. The presented results pave the way for the successful extension of magnonics to ultrathin asymmetric layer stacks featuring large spin orbit torques.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2015

Spin-transfer torque based damping control of parametrically excited spin waves in a magnetic insulator

The damping of spin waves parametrically excited in the magnetic insulator Yttrium Iron Garnet (YIG) is controlled by a dc current passed through an adjacent normal-metal film. The experiment is performed on a macroscopically sized YIG(100nm)/Pt(10nm) bilayer of 4x2 mm^2 lateral dimensions. The spin-wave relaxation frequency is determined via the threshold of the parametric instability measured by Brillouin light scattering (BLS) spectroscopy. The application of a dc current to the Pt film leads to the formation of a spin-polarized electron current normal to the film plane due to the spin Hall effect (SHE). This spin current exerts a spin transfer torque (STT) in the YIG film and, thus, changes the spin-wave damping. Depending on the polarity of the applied dc current with respect to the magnetization direction, the damping can be increased or decreased. The magnitude of its variation is proportional to the applied current. A variation in the relaxation frequency of +/-7.5% is achieved for an applied dc current density of 5*10^10 A/m^2.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2015

Experimental observation of the interaction of propagating spin waves with Néel domain walls in a Landau domain structure

The interaction of propagating dipolar spin waves with magnetic domain walls is investigated in square-shaped microstructures patterned from the Heusler compound Co$_2$Mn$_{0.6}$Fe$_{0.4}$Si. Using magnetic force microscopy, the reversible preparation of a Landau state with four magnetic domains separated by Néel domain walls is confirmed. A local spin-wave excitation using a microstructured antenna is realized in one of the domains. It is shown by Brillouin light scattering microscopy (BLS) that the domain structure in the remanence state has a strong influence on the spin-wave excitation and propagation. The domain walls strongly reflect the spin waves and can be used as spin-wave reflectors. A comparison with micromagnetic simulations shows that the strong reflection is due to the long-range dipolar interaction which has important implications for the use of these spin waves for exerting an all-magnonic spin-transfer torque.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2013

Spin-wave excitation and propagation in microstructured waveguides of yttrium iron garnet (YIG)/Pt bilayers

We present an experimental study of spin-wave excitation and propagation in microstructured waveguides patterned from a 100 nm thick yttrium iron garnet (YIG)/platinum (Pt) bilayer. The life time of the spin waves is found to be more than an order of magnitude higher than in comparably sized metallic structures despite the fact that the Pt capping enhances the Gilbert damping. Utilizing microfocus Brillouin light scattering spectroscopy, we reveal the spin-wave mode structure for different excitation frequencies. An exponential spin-wave amplitude decay length of 31 μm is observed which is a significant step towards low damping, insulator based micro-magnonics.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2012

Nonlinear emission of spin-wave caustics from an edge mode of a micro-structured Co2Mn0.6Fe0.4Si waveguide

Magnetic Heusler materials with very low Gilbert damping are expected to show novel magnonic transport phenomena. We report nonlinear generation of higher harmonics leading to the emission of caustic spin-wave beams in a low-damping, micro-structured Co2Mn0.6Fe0.4Si Heusler waveguide. The source for the higher harmonic generation is a localized edge mode formed by the strongly inhomogeneous field distribution at the edges of the spin-wave waveguide. The radiation characteristics of the propagating caustic waves observed at twice and three times the excitation frequency are described by an analytical calculation based on the anisotropic dispersion of spin waves in a magnetic thin film.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗