1. |
- Koraltan, Sabri, et al.
(author)
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Dependence of energy barrier reduction on collective excitations in square artificial spin ice : A comprehensive comparison of simulation techniques
- 2020
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In: Physical Review B. - 2469-9950 .- 2469-9969. ; 102:6
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We perform micromagnetic simulations to study the switching barriers in square artificial spin ice systems consisting of elongated single domain magnetic islands arranged on a square lattice. By considering a double vertex composed of one central island and six nearest neighbor islands, we calculate the energy barriers between two types of double vertices by applying the simplified and improved string method. We investigate by means of micromagnetic simulations the consequences of the neighboring islands, the inhomogeneities in the magnetization of the islands and the reversal mechanisms on the energy barrier by comparing three different approaches with increasing complexity. The micromagnetic models, where the string method is applied, are compared to a method commonly in use, the mean barrier approximation. Our investigations indicate that a proper micromagnetic modeling of the switching process leads to significantly lower energy barriers, by up to 35% compared to the mean-barrier approximation, so decreasing the expected average life time up to seven orders of magnitude. Hereby, we investigate the influence of parallel switching channels and the conceptional approach of using a mean-barrier to calculate the corresponding rates.
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2. |
- Leo, Naëmi, et al.
(author)
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Chiral switching and dynamic barrier reductions in artificial square ice
- 2021
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In: New Journal of Physics. - : IOP Publishing. - 1367-2630. ; 23:3
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Collective dynamics in lithographically-defined artificial spin ices offer profound insights into emergent correlations and phase transitions of geometrically-frustrated Ising spin systems. Their temporal and spatial evolution are often simulated using kinetic Monte Carlo (kMC) simulations, which rely on the precise knowledge of the switching barriers to obtain predictive results in agreement with experimental observations. In many cases, however, the barriers are derived from simplified assumptions only, and do not take into account the full physical picture of nanomagnetic switching. Here we describe how the immediate magnetic square- or kagome-ice environment of a nanomagnet reversing via quasi-coherent rotation can induce clockwise and counter-clockwise switching channels with different barrier energies. This energy splitting for chiral reversal channels can be sizeable and, as string-method micromagnetic simulations show, is relevant for artificial spin ice systems made of both exchange- as well as magnetostatically-dominated units. Due to the barrier splitting and further reductions due to non-uniform reversal, transition rates can be exponentially enhanced by several orders of magnitude compared to mean-field predictions, especially in the limit of rare switching events where thermal excitation is less likely. This leads to significantly faster relaxation time scales and modified spatial correlations. Our findings are thus of integral importance to achieve realistic kMC simulations of emergent correlations in artificial spin systems, magnonic crystals, or the evolution of nanomagnetic logic circuits.
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3. |
- Zhou Hagström, Nanna, 1993-, et al.
(author)
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Megahertz-rate Ultrafast X-ray Scattering and Holographic Imaging at the European XFEL
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Other publication (other academic/artistic)abstract
- The advent of X-ray free-electron lasers (XFELs) has revolutionized fundamental science, from atomic to condensed matter physics, from chemistry to biology, giving researchers access to X-rays with unprecedented brightness, coherence, and pulse duration. All XFEL facilities built until recently provided X-ray pulses at a relatively low repetition rate, with limited data statistics. Here, we present the results from the first megahertz repetition rate X-ray scattering experiments at the Spectroscopy and Coherent Scattering (SCS) instrument of the European XFEL. We illustrate the experimental capabilities that the SCS instrument offers, resulting from the operation at MHz repetition rates and the availability of the novel DSSC 2D imaging detector. Time-resolved magnetic X-ray scattering and holographic imaging experiments in solid state samples were chosen as representative examples, providing an ideal test-bed for operation at megahertz rates. Nevertheless, our results are relevant and applicable to any other non-destructive XFEL experiments in the soft X-ray range.
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4. |
- Zhou Hagström, Nanna, 1993-, et al.
(author)
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Megahertz-rate ultrafast X-ray scattering and holographic imaging at the European XFEL
- 2022
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In: Journal of Synchrotron Radiation. - : International Union of Crystallography (IUCr). - 0909-0495 .- 1600-5775. ; 29, s. 1454-1464
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The advent of X-ray free-electron lasers (XFELs) has revolutionized fundamental science, from atomic to condensed matter physics, from chemistry to biology, giving researchers access to X-rays with unprecedented brightness, coherence and pulse duration. All XFEL facilities built until recently provided X-ray pulses at a relatively low repetition rate, with limited data statistics. Here, results from the first megahertz-repetition-rate X-ray scattering experiments at the Spectroscopy and Coherent Scattering (SCS) instrument of the European XFEL are presented. The experimental capabilities that the SCS instrument offers, resulting from the operation at megahertz repetition rates and the availability of the novel DSSC 2D imaging detector, are illustrated. Time-resolved magnetic X-ray scattering and holographic imaging experiments in solid state samples were chosen as representative, providing an ideal test-bed for operation at megahertz rates. Our results are relevant and applicable to any other non-destructive XFEL experiments in the soft X-ray range.
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5. |
- Bossini, D., et al.
(author)
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Ultrafast Amplification and Nonlinear Magnetoelastic Coupling of Coherent Magnon Modes in an Antiferromagnet
- 2021
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In: Physical Review Letters. - 0031-9007 .- 1079-7114. ; 127:7
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We investigate the role of domain walls in the ultrafast magnon dynamics of an antiferromagnetic NiO single crystal in a pump-probe experiment with variable pump photon energy. Analyzing the amplitude of the energy-dependent photoinduced ultrafast spin dynamics, we detect a yet unreported coupling between the material's characteristic terahertz- and gigahertz-magnon modes. We explain this unexpected coupling between two orthogonal eigenstates of the corresponding Hamiltonian by modeling the magnetoelastic interaction between spins in different domains. We find that such interaction, in the nonlinear regime, couples the two different magnon modes via the domain walls and it can be optically exploited via the exciton-magnon resonance.
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6. |
- Hudl, Matthias, et al.
(author)
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Nonlinear Magnetization Dynamics Driven by Strong Terahertz Fields
- 2019
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In: Physical Review Letters. - : AMER PHYSICAL SOC. - 0031-9007 .- 1079-7114. ; 123:19
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We present a comprehensive experimental and numerical study of magnetization dynamics in a thin metallic film triggered by single-cycle terahertz pulses of ∼20 MV/m electric field amplitude and ∼1 ps duration. The experimental dynamics is probed using the femtosecond magneto-optical Kerr effect, and it is reproduced numerically using macrospin simulations. The magnetization dynamics can be decomposed in three distinct processes: a coherent precession of the magnetization around the terahertz magnetic field, an ultrafast demagnetization that suddenly changes the anisotropy of the film, and a uniform precession around the equilibrium effective field that is relaxed on the nanosecond time scale, consistent with a Gilbert damping process. Macrospin simulations quantitatively reproduce the observed dynamics, and allow us to predict that novel nonlinear magnetization dynamics regimes can be attained with existing tabletop terahertz sources.
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7. |
- Jangid, Rahul, et al.
(author)
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Extreme Domain Wall Speeds under Ultrafast Optical Excitation
- 2023
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In: Physical Review Letters. - 0031-9007 .- 1079-7114. ; 131:25
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Time-resolved ultrafast EUV magnetic scattering was used to test a recent prediction of > 10 km/s domain wall speeds by optically exciting a magnetic sample with a nanoscale labyrinthine domain pattern. Ultrafast distortion of the diffraction pattern was observed at markedly different timescales compared to the magnetization quenching. The diffraction pattern distortion shows a threshold dependence with laser fluence, not seen for magnetization quenching, consistent with a picture of domain wall motion with pinning sites. Supported by simulations, we show that a speed of approximate to 66 km/s for highly curved domain walls can explain the experimental data. While our data agree with the prediction of extreme, nonequilibrium wall speeds locally, it differs from the details of the theory, suggesting that additional mechanisms are required to fully understand these effects.
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8. |
- Kozina, M., et al.
(author)
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Local terahertz field enhancement for time-resolved x-ray diffraction
- 2017
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In: Applied Physics Letters. - : AIP Publishing. - 0003-6951 .- 1077-3118. ; 110:8
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We report local field strength enhancement of single-cycle terahertz (THz) pulses in an ultrafast time-resolved x-ray diffraction experiment. We show that patterning the sample with gold microstructures increases the THz field without changing the THz pulse shape or drastically affecting the quality of the x-ray diffraction pattern. We find a five-fold increase in THz-induced x-ray diffraction intensity change in the presence of microstructures on a SrTiO3 thin-film sample.
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9. |
- Ksenzov, Dmitriy, et al.
(author)
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Nanoscale Transient Magnetization Gratings Created and Probed by Femtosecond Extreme Ultraviolet Pulses
- 2021
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In: Nano Letters. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1530-6984 .- 1530-6992. ; 21:7, s. 2905-2911
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We utilize coherent femtosecond extreme ultraviolet (EUV) pulses from a free electron laser (FEL) to generate transient periodic magnetization patterns with periods as short as 44 nm. Combining spatially periodic excitation with resonant probing at the M-edge of cobalt allows us to create and probe transient gratings of electronic and magnetic excitations in a CoGd alloy. In a demagnetized sample, we observe an electronic excitation with a rise time close to the FEL pulse duration and similar to 0.5 ps decay time indicative of electron-phonon relaxation. When the sample is magnetized to saturation in an external field, we observe a magnetization grating, which appears on a subpicosecond time scale as the sample is demagnetized at the maxima of the EUV intensity and then decays on the time scale of tens of picoseconds via thermal diffusion. The described approach opens multiple avenues for studying dynamics of ultrafast magnetic phenomena on nanometer length scales.
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10. |
- Lawson, Matthew, et al.
(author)
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Tunable Axion Plasma Haloscopes
- 2019
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In: Physical Review Letters. - : AMER PHYSICAL SOC. - 0031-9007 .- 1079-7114. ; 123:14
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We propose a new strategy for searching for dark matter axions using tunable cryogenic plasmas. Unlike current experiments, which repair the mismatch between axion and photon masses by breaking translational invariance (cavity and dielectric haloscopes), a plasma haloscope enables resonant conversion by matching the axion mass to a plasma frequency. A key advantage is that the plasma frequency is unrelated to the physical size of the device, allowing large conversion volumes. We identify wire metamaterials as a promising candidate plasma, wherein the plasma frequency can be tuned by varying the interwire spacing. For realistic experimental sizes, we estimate competitive sensitivity for axion masses of 35-400 mu eV, at least.
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11. |
- Le Guyader, Loïc, et al.
(author)
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State-resolved ultrafast charge and spin dynamics in [Co/Pd] multilayers
- 2022
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In: Applied Physics Letters. - : AIP Publishing. - 0003-6951 .- 1077-3118. ; 120:3
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We use transient absorption spectroscopy with circularly polarized x rays to detect laser-excited hole states below the Fermi level and compare their dynamics with that of unoccupied states above the Fermi level in ferromagnetic [Co/Pd] multilayers. While below the Fermi level, an instantaneous and significantly stronger demagnetization is observed, above the Fermi level, the demagnetization is delayed by 35 ± 10 fs. This provides a direct visualization of how ultrafast demagnetization proceeds via initial spin-flip scattering of laser-excited holes to the subsequent formation of spin waves.
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12. |
- López-Ortega, Alberto, et al.
(author)
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Enhanced magnetic modulation of light polarization exploiting hybridization with multipolar dark plasmons in magnetoplasmonic nanocavities
- 2020
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In: Light. - : Nature Publishing Group. - 2095-5545 .- 2047-7538. ; 9:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Enhancing magneto-optical effects is crucial for reducing the size of key photonic devices based on the non-reciprocal propagation of light and to enable active nanophotonics. Here, we disclose a currently unexplored approach that exploits hybridization with multipolar dark modes in specially designed magnetoplasmonic nanocavities to achieve a large enhancement of the magneto-optically induced modulation of light polarization. The broken geometrical symmetry of the design enables coupling with free-space light and hybridization of the multipolar dark modes of a plasmonic ring nanoresonator with the dipolar localized plasmon resonance of the ferromagnetic disk placed inside the ring. This hybridization results in a low-radiant multipolar Fano resonance that drives a strongly enhanced magneto-optically induced localized plasmon. The large amplification of the magneto-optical response of the nanocavity is the result of the large magneto-optically induced change in light polarization produced by the strongly enhanced radiant magneto-optical dipole, which is achieved by avoiding the simultaneous enhancement of re-emitted light with incident polarization by the multipolar Fano resonance. The partial compensation of the magneto-optically induced polarization change caused by the large re-emission of light with the original polarization is a critical limitation of the magnetoplasmonic designs explored thus far and that is overcome by the approach proposed here.
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13. |
- Maccaferri, Nicolò, Dr. 1988-, et al.
(author)
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Anisotropic Nanoantenna-Based Magnetoplasmonic Crystals for Highly Enhanced and Tunable Magneto-Optical Activity
- 2016
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In: Nano Letters. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1530-6984 .- 1530-6992. ; 16:4, s. 2533-2542
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We present a novel concept of a magnetically tunable plasmonic crystal based on the excitation of Fano lattice surface modes in periodic arrays of magnetic and optically anisotropic nanoantennas. We show how coherent diffractive far-field coupling between elliptical nickel nanoantennas is governed by the two in-plane, orthogonal and spectrally detuned plasmonic responses of the individual building block, one directly induced by the incident radiation and the other induced by the application of an external magnetic field. The consequent excitation of magnetic field-induced Fano lattice surface modes leads to highly tunable and amplified magneto-optical effects as compared to a continuous film or metasurfaces made of disordered noninteracting magnetoplasmonic anisotropic nanoantennas. The concepts presented here can be exploited to design novel magnetoplasmonic sensors based on coupled localized plasmonic resonances, and nanoscale metamaterials for precise control and magnetically driven tunability of light polarization states.
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14. |
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15. |
- Neeraj, Kumar, 1991-, et al.
(author)
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Magnetization switching in the inertial regime
- 2022
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In: Physical Review B. - 2469-9950 .- 2469-9969. ; 105:5
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We have numerically solved the Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert (LLG) equation in its standard and inertial forms to study the magnetization switching dynamics in a 3d thin film ferromagnet. The dynamics is triggered by ultrashort magnetic field pulses of varying width and amplitude in the picosecond and Tesla range. We have compared the solutions of the two equations in terms of switching characteristic, speed, and energy analysis. Both equations return qualitatively similar switching dynamics, characterized by regions of slower precessional behavior and faster ballistic motion. In the case of inertial dynamics, ballistic switching is found in a 25% wider region in the parameter space given by the magnetic field amplitude and width. The energy analysis of the dynamics is qualitatively different for the standard and inertial LLG equations. In the latter case, an extra energy channel, interpreted as the kinetic energy of the system, is available. Such an extra channel is responsible for a resonant energy absorption at THz frequencies, consistent with the occurrence of spin nutation.
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16. |
- Pancaldi, Matteo, et al.
(author)
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Anti-reflection coating design for metallic terahertz meta-materials
- 2018
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In: Optics Express. - 1094-4087. ; 26:3, s. 2917-2927
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We demonstrate a silicon-based, single-layer anti-reflection coating that suppresses the reflectivity of metals at near-infrared frequencies, enabling optical probing of nano-scale structures embedded in highly reflective surroundings. Our design does not affect the interaction of terahertz radiation with metallic structures that can be used to achieve terahertz near-field enhancement. We have verified the functionality of the design by calculating and measuring the reflectivity of both infrared and terahertz radiation from a silicon/gold double layer as a function of the silicon thickness. We have also fabricated the unit cell of a terahertz meta-material, a dipole antenna comprising two 20-nm thick extended gold plates separated by a 2 mu m gap, where the terahertz field is locally enhanced. We used the time-domain finite element method to demonstrate that such near-field enhancement is preserved in the presence of the anti-reflection coating. Finally, we performed magneto-optical Kerr effect measurements on a single 3-nm thick, 1-mu m wide magnetic wire placed in the gap of such a dipole antenna. The wire only occupies 2% of the area probed by the laser beam, but its magneto-optical response can be clearly detected. Our design paves the way for ultrafast time-resolved studies, using table-top femtosecond near-infrared lasers, of dynamics in nano-structures driven by strong terahertz radiation.
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17. |
- Pancaldi, Matteo, et al.
(author)
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High-resolution ptychographic imaging at a seeded free-electron laser source using OAM beams
- 2024
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In: Optica. - 2334-2536. ; 11:3, s. 403-411
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Electromagnetic waves possessing orbital angular momentum (OAM) are powerful tools for applications in optical communications, quantum technologies, and optical tweezers. Recently, they have attracted growing interest since they can be harnessed to detect peculiar helical dichroic effects in chiral molecular media and in magnetic nanostructures. In this work, we perform single-shot per position ptychography on a nanostructured object at a seeded free-electron laser, using extreme ultraviolet OAM beams of different topological charge orders ℓ generated with spiral zone plates. By controlling ℓ, we demonstrate how the structural features of OAM beam profiles determine an improvement of about 30% in image resolution with respect to conventional Gaussian beam illumination. This result extends the capabilities of coherent diffraction imaging techniques, and paves the way for achieving time-resolved high-resolution (below 100 nm) microscopy on large area samples.
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18. |
- Pancaldi, Matteo, 1989-, et al.
(author)
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Spiral metamaterials for terahertz magnetic field enhancement
- 2019
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In: META 2019 Lisbon - Portugal. - : META Conference. ; , s. 1343-1344
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We designed a class of spiral thin-film antennas for enhancing, in the near field, the incident terahertz (THz) magnetic field. Indeed, using existing laser-based THz sources, our metamaterial geometry allows generating magnetic fields of the order of 2 T over a time scale of few picoseconds, enabling the investigation of nonlinear ultrafast spin dynamics in table-top experiments.
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19. |
- Pancaldi, Matteo, et al.
(author)
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Terahertz metamaterials for light-driven magnetism
- 2024
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In: Nanophotonics. - 2192-8614. ; 13:10
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We describe the design of two types of metamaterials aimed at enhancing terahertz field pulses that can be used to control the magnetic state in condensed matter systems. The first structure is a so-called “dragonfly” antenna, able to realize a five-fold enhancement of the impinging terahertz magnetic field, while preserving its broadband features. For currently available state-of-the-art table top sources, this leads to peak magnetic fields exceeding 1 T. The second structure is an octopole antenna aimed at enhancing a circularly-polarized terahertz electric field, while preserving its polarization state. We obtain a five-fold enhancement of the electric field, hence expected to exceed the 1 MV/cm peak amplitude. Both our structures can be readily fabricated on top of virtually any material.
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20. |
- Polley, Debanjan, et al.
(author)
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THz-driven demagnetization with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy : towards ultrafast ballistic switching
- 2018
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In: Journal of Physics D. - : IOP Publishing. - 0022-3727 .- 1361-6463. ; 51:8
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We study THz-driven spin dynamics in thin CoPt films with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. Femtosecond magneto-optical Kerr effect measurements show that demagnetization amplitude of about 1% can be achieved with a peak THz electric field of 300 kV cm(-1), and a corresponding peak magnetic field of 0.1 T. The effect is more than an order of magnitude larger than observed in samples with easy-plane anisotropy irradiated with the same field strength. We also utilize finite-element simulations to design a meta-material structure that can enhance the THz magnetic field by more than an order of magnitude, over an area of several tens of square micrometers. Magnetic fields exceeding 1 Tesla, generated in such meta-materials with the available laser-based THz sources, are expected to produce full magnetization reversal via ultrafast ballistic precession driven by the THz radiation. Our results demonstrate the possibility of table-top ultrafast magnetization reversal induced by THz radiation.
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21. |
- Vavassori, Paolo, et al.
(author)
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Magnetoplasmonic nanocavities for the amplification of magneto-optical activity via hybridization with dark plasmons
- 2022
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In: META 2022 Torremolinos - Spain. - : META Conference. ; , s. 226-227
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Magneto-optical (MO) effects are widely used in studying magnetic materials as well as to realize optical devices exploiting non-reciprocal propagation of light. Enhancing MO effects is crucial for size reduction of key photonic devices based on non-reciprocal propagation of light and to enable active nanophotonics. Here, we disclose a promising approach that exploits multipolar Fano resonances excitable in symmetry broken magnetoplasmonic nanocavities and arising from the hybridization of dark plasmons with dipolar plasmonic resonances to induce a large amplification of magneto-optical activity.
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22. |
- Zapata-Herrera, Mario, et al.
(author)
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Lighting up magneto-optics to its limit with dark plasmons
- 2019
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In: META 2019 Lisbon - Portugal. - : META Conference. ; , s. 1358-1359
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In this work we present a new strategy to actively enhance the magneto optical activity beyond its current limits by the excitation of a hybrid dark-bright modes in a magnetic-disk/metallic-ring plasmonic nanocavity.
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