Spintronics, magnonics and magnetic materials

The four ways in which energy and information can be transmitted by electrons illustrates the relationship between magnonics and its sister fields of electronics, electromagnetics and spintronics. After C. S. Davies, Y. Au, and V. V. Kruglyak, “Prototype magnonic device development”, p. 54 in “Magnetics Technology International” (UKIP Media, Surrey, 2015).

This research theme encompasses the dynamic processes induced and experienced by spin-polarised electrons in micro- and nanostructured magnetic materials, metamaterials and devices. These phenomena are observed from microwave to terahertz frequencies and can be studied by electrical and optical measurement techniques.

Spintronics

Spintronics studies phenomena associated with spins – intrinsic angular momentum inherent to electrons and other elementary particles and quasiparticles.

Magnonics

Magnonics studies phenomena associated with spin waves – elementary excitations of the magnetic order in magnetic materials – and their quanta – magnons.

Magnetic materials

Magnetic materials are characterised by a strong correlation of the relative orientation of magnetic moments of individual electrons, ions or atoms, which is referred to as magnetic order.

Current projects

Project	Researchers	Funding
Coherent spin waves for emerging nanoscale magnonic logic architectures	V. V. Kruglyak and G. Hrkac, in collaboration with the University of Sheffield	EPSRC EP/L019876/1 £ 459,397 29/09/2014 – 28/01/2019
Magnonics, Interactions and Complexity: Multifunctional Aspects of Spin Wave Dynamics	V. V. Kruglyak	H2020-MSCA RISE-2014 €220,500 01/02/2015 - 31/01/2019
Manufacture of ferrite-loaded electronic article surveillance (EAS) tags for retail trials	R. J. Hicken and A. P. Hibbins	EPSRC Impact Acceleration Account 2, £ 29,200 01/01/2018-31/12/2018
EXTREMAG: an Exeter-based Time Resolved Magnetism Facility	R. J. Hicken, E. Hendry and V. V. Kriglyak	EPSRC EP/R008809/1, £1,128,435 1/1/2018 - 31/12/2019
Picosecond Dynamics of Magnetic Exchange Springs	R. J. Hicken and G. Hrkac, in collaboration with the Universities of Southampton and Oxford, and the Diamond Light Source	EPSRC EP/P02047X/1, £642,415, 01/06/2017 - 31/05/2020
Optical detection of magnetisation dynamics induced by spin-orbit torques	R. J. Hicken	EPSRC EP/P008550/1, £522,335, 1/3/2017-31/12/2020
Combined Magneto-Optical and Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging Microscopy: Towards Cellular Level Magnetic Hyperthermia		EPSRC EP/P011403/1, £365765, 01/03/2017-31/12/2020