Tunable Faraday rotation of ferromagnet thin film in whole visible region coupled with aluminum plasmonic arrays

To date, the plasmonic nanostructure utilized for magneto-optical (MO) enhancement has been limited to noble metals with resulted enhancement in the green-red part of visible spectrum. In this study, we fabricated a diffractive hexagonal array composed of Al nanoparticles (NPs) with a thin 7.5 nm ferromagnetic film and pushed the enhanced Faraday rotation (FR) into the blue to green range of the visible light. The freedom and ability to control the working spectral region in the whole visible range from 400 to 800 nm were also demonstrated by changing the lattice constant and the dielectric environment of plasmonic nanostructures. Particularly, in the blue range we obtained the maximum FR 0.57° at 410 nm with a broad boosting region around 0.5° from 400 to 500 nm. Moreover, the largest FR 1.66° was shown at 638 nm by tuning the dielectric environment into a higher refractive index medium. The results of our investigation demonstrate the potential of Al-based magnetoplasmonic effect and offer opportunities to push the MO spectral response out of visible range into the ultraviolet-blue range.

Composition of the Frenkel–Kontorova and Ising models for investigation the magnetic properties of a ferromagnetic monolayer on a stretching substrate

In the article, computer simulation on the behavior of a ferromagnetic thin film on a non-magnetic substrate by computer simulation is performed. The substrate is described by the two-dimensional Frenkel–Kontorova potential. The Ising model is used to describe the magnetic properties of a two-dimensional ferromagnetic film. The Wolf cluster algorithm is used to model the magnetic behavior of the film. A square lattice is considered for an unperturbed ferromagnetic film. Computer simulations show that mismatch of film and substrate periods results in film splitting into regions with different atomic structures. Magnetic properties for the obtained structure have been investigated. The hysteresis loop is calculated using the Metropolis algorithm. Deformations of the substrate lead to a decrease in the phase transition temperature. The Curie temperature decreases both when the substrate is compressed and when stretched. The change in phase transition temperature depends on the decreasing rate of exchange interaction with distance and the amplitude of interaction with the substrate. When the substrate is compressed, an increase in the amplitude of the interaction between the film and the substrate results in an increase in the phase transition temperature. The opposite effect occurs when the substrate is stretched. The hysteresis loop changes its shape and parameters when the substrate is deformed. Compression and stretching of the substrate results in a decrease in coercive force. The reduction in coercive force when compressing the substrate is greater than when stretching. The magnetization of the film is reduced by deformations at a fixed temperature.

Critical behavior of a two-dimensional ferromagnetic film on a non-magnetic substrate

In this paper, we investigate the behavior of a ferromagnetic (FM) film on a nonmagnetic substrate near the Curie point by the computer simulation. The influence of the substrate is specified using the two-dimensional Frenkel-Kontorova (FK) potential. The study is carried out for a two-dimensional film described by the Ising model. At the first step, we calculate the positions of the substrate’s atoms in the ground state depending on the parameters. The parameters are (i) the ratio of the substrate periods and the crystal lattice of the film; and (ii) the ratio of the substrate potential amplitude to the elasticity coefficient of interatomic interaction. The period ratio determines the system coverage ratio. Minimization of the system’s total energy determines the ground state. Calculations show that the ground state has a periodic structure that differs from a square lattice with a coverage coefficient not equal to unity. We calculate the displacements of atoms from the equilibrium position for systems with a different linear scale.

Controlling the three dimensional propagation of spin waves in continuous ferromagnetic films with an increasing out of plane undulation

The role of three-dimensionality in a ferromagnetic medium in ruling the propagation properties of spin-waves (SW) has been one of the main focuses of the research activity in recent years. In this context, we investigate the evolution of the SW dispersion (frequency vs wave vector) induced by a progressive vertical undulation of a ferromagnetic film. The geometric undulation is taken along a single direction and is periodic with constant period, while the amplitude (differential maximum height with respect to the film thickness) is gradually increased from 0 to 60 nm. We study the characteristic modification of the internal effective field and link it to the resulting SW dispersions and spatial profile. These systems display at once features both of a planar film and a discretized medium, and the dispersion curves change not only when SWs propagate along the undulation direction, but also perpendicular to it. We discuss the geometric and magnetic conditions for having either the invariance of the SW group velocity with respect to even major changes in the undulation, or a large group velocity for some edge modes. We address a potential dual-band activity, namely the simultaneous propagation of two independent SW-signals, with separated frequency bands and disjoint oscillation regions.

Features in the Resonance Behavior of Magnetization in Arrays of Triangular and Square Nanodots

Collective modes of the gyrotropic motion of a magnetic vortex core in ordered arrays of triangular and square ferromagnetic film nanodots have been theoretically investigated. The dispersion relations have been derived. The dipole–dipole interaction of the magnetic moments of the magnetic vortex cores of elements has been taken into account in the approximation of a small shift from the equilibrium position. It is shown that the effective rigidity of the magnetic subsystem of triangular elements is noticeably higher than that of the subsystem of square elements of the same linear sizes. The potential application of the polygonal film nanodisks as nanoscalpels for noninvasive tumor cell surgery is discussed

Controllable field-free switching of perpendicular magnetization through bulk spin-orbit torque in symmetry-broken ferromagnetic films

Programmable magnetic field-free manipulation of perpendicular magnetization switching is essential for the development of ultralow-power spintronic devices. However, the magnetization in a centrosymmetric single-layer ferromagnetic film cannot be switched directly by passing an electrical current in itself. Here, we demonstrate a repeatable bulk spin-orbit torque (SOT) switching of the perpendicularly magnetized CoPt alloy single-layer films by introducing a composition gradient in the thickness direction to break the inversion symmetry. Experimental results reveal that the bulk SOT-induced effective field on the domain walls leads to the domain walls motion and magnetization switching. Moreover, magnetic field-free perpendicular magnetization switching caused by SOT and its switching polarity (clockwise or counterclockwise) can be reversibly controlled in the IrMn/Co/Ru/CoPt heterojunctions based on the exchange bias and interlayer exchange coupling. This unique composition gradient approach accompanied with electrically controllable SOT magnetization switching provides a promising strategy to access energy-efficient control of memory and logic devices.