Search

A complex structure of magnetic subsystem in antiferromagnets (AFMs) determines challenges and technological perspectives for both, fundamental research and their applications for spintronic and spin-orbitronic devices [1]. In this respect, properties of the confined samples are of key interest because of the possibility to tune magnetic responses via effects of boundary and geometrical curvature [2]. Here, we consider textures in (i) AFM slabs with the Dzyaloshniskii-Morya interaction (DMI) of bulk symmetry [3] and (ii) the intrinsically achiral curvilinear spin chains arranged along space curves [4]. We derive a transition from spin lattice of G-type AFM to the sigma-model with the respective boundary conditions for the AFM order parameter [3]. The DMI influences a texture via boundary conditions modifying the ground state, domain wall shape and skyrmion profiles. Approaching the boundary in the slab with easy-axis anisotropy, the domain wall becomes broader and of mixed Bloch-Neel type near the top surface. Near the edges of the sample, the domain wall plane possesses and additional twist. Note, that the edge twists appear in achiral AFMs as well if the domain wall plane lies at an angle to the side faces [5]. Similarly, skyrmions of any radius become of the Bloch-Neel type approaching the top/bottom surfaces of the sample. The radius of narrow skyrmions changes up to 10% due to the boundary effects. AFM spin chains arranged along space curves can model the simplest curvilinear nanoarchitectures. Their geometry is described by the curvature and torsion, determining local bends and twists of the curve. The geometry-driven anisotropy and inhomogeneous DMI render them as chiral helimagnets [6]. In addition, the exchange interaction generates the weakly ferromagnetic response, scaling linearly with curvature and torsion. The inter- and single-ion anisotropies in curvilinear AFM chains lead to the additional anisotropic contributions, scaling with curvature. The singl

As for everybody else also for the Institute of Ion Beam Physics and Materials Research (IIM), the COVID-19 pandemic overshadowed the usual scientific life in 2020. Starting in March, home office became the preferred working environment and the typical institute life was disrupted. After a little relaxation during summer and early fall, the situation became again more serious and in early December we had to severely restrict laboratory activities and the user operation of the Ion Beam Center (IBC). For the most part of 2020, user visits were impossible and the services delivered had to be performed hands-off. This led to a significant additional work load on the IBC staff. Thank you very much for your commitment during this difficult period. By now user operation has restarted, but we are still far from business as usual. Most lessons learnt deal with video conference systems, and everybody now has extensive experience in skype, teams, webex, zoom, or any other solution available. Conferences were cancelled, workshops postponed, and seminar or colloquia talks delivered online. Since experimental work was also impeded, maybe 2020 was a good year for writing publications and applying for external funding. In total, 204 articles have been published with an average impact factor of about 7.0, which both mark an all-time high for the Institute. 13 publications from last year are highlighted in this Annual Report to illustrate the wide scientific spectrum of our institute. In addition, 20 new projects funded by EU, DFG, BMWi/AiF and SAB with a total budget of about 5.7 M€ have started. Thank you very much for making this possible. Also, in 2020 there have been a few personalia to be reported. Prof. Dr. Sibylle Gemming has left the HZDR and accepted a professor position at TU Chemnitz. Congratulations! The hence vacant position as the head of department was taken over by PD Dr. Artur Erbe by Oct. 1st. Simultaneously, the department has been renamed to “Nanoelectronics”. Dr

Crystals melt when thermal excitations or the concentration of defects in the lattice is sufficiently high. Upon melting, the crystalline long-range order vanishes, turning the solid to a fluid. In contrast to this classical scenario of solid melting, here we demonstrate a counter-intuitive behavior of the occurrence of crystalline long-range order in an initially disordered matrix. This unusual solidification is demonstrated in a system of passive colloidal particles accommodating chemically active defects - photocatalytic Janus particles. The observed crystallization occurs when the amount of active-defect-induced fluctuations (which is the measure of the effective temperature) reaches critical value. The driving mechanism behind this unusual behavior is purely internal and resembles a blast-induced solidification. Here the role of "internal micro-blasts" is played by the photochemical activity of defects residing in the colloidal matrix. The defect-induced solidification occurs under non-equilibrium conditions: the resulting solid exists as long as a constant supply of energy in the form of ion flow is provided by the catalytic photochemical reaction at the surface of active Janus particle defects. Our findings could be useful for understanding of the phase transitions of matter under extreme conditions far from thermodynamic equilibrium.

We demonstrate a novel type of spin Hall nano-oscillators (SHNOs) that allow for efficient tuning of magnetic auto-oscillations over an extended range of gigahertz frequencies, using bipolar direct currents at constant magnetic fields. This is achieved by stacking two distinct magnetic materials with a platinum layer in between. In this device, the orientation of the spin polarised electrons accumulated at the top and bottom interfaces of platinum is switched upon changing the polarity of the direct current. As a result, the effective anti-damping required to drive large amplitude auto-oscillations can appear either at the top or bottom magnetic layer. Tuning of the auto-oscillation frequencies by several gigahertz can be obtained by combining two materials with suffciently different saturation magnetization. Here we show that the combination of NiFe and CoFeB can result in 3 GHz shifts in the auto-oscillation frequencies. Bipolar SHNOs as such may bring enhanced synchronisation capabilities to neuromorphic applications.

The Institute of Ion Beam Physics and Materials Research conducts materials research for future applications in, e.g., information technology. To this end, we make use of the various possibilities offered by our Ion Beam Center (IBC) for synthesis, modification, and analysis of thin films and nanostructures, as well as of the free-electron laser FELBE at HZDR for THz spectroscopy. The analyzed materials range from semiconductors and oxides to metals and magnetic materials. They are investigated with the goal to optimize their electronic, magnetic, optical as well as structural functionality. This research is embedded in the Helmholtz Association’s programme “From Matter to Materials and Life”. Seven publications from last year are highlighted in this Annual Report to illustrate the wide scientific spectrum of our institute. After the scientific evaluation in the framework of the Helmholtz Programme-Oriented Funding (POF) in 2018 we had some time to concentrate on science again before end of the year a few of us again had to prepare for the strategic evaluation which took place in January 2020, which finally was also successful for the Institute.

Curvilinear magnetism is of great fundamental and practical interest whose rapid development is inspired by novel experimental technologies and wide potential applications [1]. A general approach for description of curvilinear ferromagnets [2] has been recently developed and used for thin wires and shells uncovering magnetochiral effects in statics and dynamics [1,3]. Besides intensive research of ferromagnetic materials, their antiferromagnetically ordered (AFM) counterparts are promising candidates for spintronics applications by their low sensitivity to external fields and ultra high eigenfrequencies [4]. Here, we present a general approach for description of AFM textures in curvilinear spin chains [5]. We show that the magnetic dipole-dipole interaction in these systems can be reduced to a hard-axis anisotropy along the chain. Lagrangian of the curvilinear AFM spin chain in continuum limit corresponds to the biaxial chiral helimagnet. Helix geometry shows existence of two equilibrium magnetic states depending on values of curvature and torsion: (i) homogeneous state in the local reference frame, it is typical for helices with the curvature larger than torsion; and (ii) periodic state is quasi-homogeneous in the laboratory reference frame. For specific case of the AFM flat chain there is the only ground state, with the order parameter being oriented perpendicular to the chain plane. We show that in curvilinear system transverse and longitudinal magnon modes in the AFM helix and ring are coupled due to geometry-induced Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction. [1] R. Streubel, J. Lee, D. Makarov et al, J. Phys. D, 49, 363001, (2016); A. Fernández-Pacheco et al, Nat. Comm., Vol. 8, p. 15756 (2017). [2] Y. Gaididei, V. P. Kravchuk, D. D. Sheka, Phys. Rev. Lett. 112, 257203 (2014); D. D. Sheka, V. P. Kravchuk, Y. Gaididei, J. Phys. A, Vol. 48, p. 125202 (2015). [3] O. V. Pylypovskyi, D. D. Sheka, V. P. Kravchuk et al, Sci. Rep. Vol. 6, p. 23316 (2016); O. V. Pylypovskyi, D.

Mechanical flexibility and even stretchability of functional elements is a key enabler of numerous applications including wearable electronics, healthcare and medical appliances. The magnetism community developed the family of high-performance shapeable magnetoelectronics [1], which contain flexible [2-4], printable [5-7], stretchable [8-11] and even mechanically imperceptible [12-16] magnetic field sensorics. The technology relies on a smart combination of thin inorganic functional elements prepared directly on flexible or elastomeric supports. The concept of shapeable magnetoelectronics is explored for various applications ranging from automotive [17] through consumer electronics and point of care [2,18] to virtual and augmented reality [14-16] applications. Here, we will focus on the use of compliant magnetosensitive skins [14-16] for augmented reality systems. We demonstrate that e-skin compasses [14] allow humans to orient with respect to earth’s magnetic field ubiquitously. The biomagnetic orientation enables the realization of a touchless control of virtual units in a game engine using omnidirectional magnetosensitive skins (Fig. 1). This concept was further extended by demonstrating a compliant magnetic microelectromechanical platform (m-MEMS), which is able to transduce both tactile (via mechanical pressure) and touchless (via magnetic field) stimulations simultaneously and discriminate them in real time [16] (Fig. 2). We demonstrate data selection and manipulation with our m-MEMS e-skins leading to the realization of a multi-choice menu for augmented reality through three dimensional (3D) touch. Beyond the field of augmented reality, our m-MEMS will bring great benefits for healthcare, e.g. to ease surgery operations and manipulation of medical equipment, as well as for humanoid robots to overcome the challenging task of grasping. [1] D. Makarov et al., Appl. Phys. Rev. (Review) 3, 011101 (2016). [2] G. Lin, D. Makarov et al., Lab Chip 14, 4050 (2014). [3]

The orientation of a chiral magnetic domain wall in a racetrack determines its dynamical properties. In equilibrium, magnetic domain walls are expected to be oriented perpendicular to the stripe axis. We demonstrate the appearance of a unidirectional domain wall tilt in an out-of-plane magnetized stripes with biaxial anisotropy (the firsrt easy axis is perpendicular to the plane and the second one is tilted with respect to the stripe axis) and interfacial Dzyaloshinskii--Moriya interaction (DMI). The tilt is a result of the interplay between the in-plane easy-axis anisotropy and DMI. We show that the additional anisotropy and DMI prefer different domain wall structure: anisotropy links the magnetization azimuthal angle inside the domain wall with the stripe main axis in contrast to DMI, which prefers the magnetization perpendicular to the domain wall plane. Their balance with the energy gain due to domain wall extension defines the equilibrium magnetization and domain wall tilt angles. We demonstrate that the Walker field and the corresponding Walker velocity of the domain wall can be enhanced in the system supporting tilted walls.

We report the use of optically addressable spin qubits in SiC to probe the static magnetic stray fields generated by a ferromagnetic microstructure lithographically patterned on the surface of a SiC crystal. The stray fields cause shifts in the resonance frequency of the spin centers. The spin resonance is driven by a micrometer-sized microwave antenna patterned adjacent to the magnetic element. The patterning of the antenna is done to ensure that the driving microwave fields are delivered locally and more efficiently compared to conventional, millimeter-sized circuits. A clear difference in the resonance frequency of the spin centers in SiC is observed at various distances to the magnetic element, for two different magnetic states. Our results offer a wafer-scale platform to develop hybrid magnon-quantum applications by deploying local microwave fields and the stray field landscape at the micrometer lengthscale.

One of the fascinating qualities of spin waves (or magnons), which are the elementary excitations in magnetically ordered substances, is their nonlinear behavior at moder- ate excitation powers. This makes spin waves not only an attractive model system to study general nonlinear systems, but it also provides a way to utilize nonlinear dynamics in possible technical applications. In a ferromagnetic nano disk which is magnetized in the vortex state, the spin-wave modes meet strict boundary conditions and therefore inherit a discrete spectrum. When driven with a large enough excitation field, they can decay into other spin-wave modes within well-defined channels due to a nonlinear process called three-magnon scattering [1]. The aim of this project is to explore this phenomenon within nonlinear spin-wave theory and by means of micromagnetic simulations. For this purpose, first the linear dynamics are mapped out and the possible scattering channels are predicted. The stability of these channels with respect to static external fields is studied. Within this context, exotic spin-wave modes which arise in a broken cylindrical symmetry are found. Moreover, a model to predict the temporal evolution of the spin-wave modes is developed within the classical Hamiltonian formalism for nonlinear spin-wave dynamics. Together with micromagnetic simulations, this model is applied in order to study the power-dependence of three-magnon scattering as well as to uncover a phenomenon called stimulated three-magnon scattering, which may allow for an integration of this nonlinear pro- cess in magnonics circuits. The results are compared with Brillouin light-scattering experiments which were conducted prior to this thesis or were motivated by it. Financial support of within DFG programme SCHU 2922/1-1 and KA 5069/1-1 is acknowledged.

Antiferromagnets host exotic quasiparticles, support high frequency excitations and are key enablers of the prospective spintronic and spin−orbitronic technologies. Here, we propose a concept of a curvilinear antiferromagnetism where material responses can be tailored by a geometrical curvature without the need to adjust material parameters. We show that an intrinsically achiral one-dimensional (1D) curvilinear antiferromagnet behaves as a chiral helimagnet with geometrically tunable Dzyaloshinskii−Moriya interaction (DMI) and orientation of the Né el vector. The curvature-induced DMI results in the hybridization of spin wave modes and enables a geometrically driven local minimum of the low-frequency branch. This positions curvilinear 1D antiferromagnets as a novel platform for the realization of geometrically tunable chiral antiferromagnets for antiferromagnetic spin−orbitronics and fundamental discoveries in the formation of coherent magnon condensates in the momentum space.

We present a combined numerical, theoretical and experimental study on stimulated three-magnon splitting in a magnetic disk in the vortex equilibrium state. Our micromagnetic simulations and Brillouin-light-scattering results confirm that three-magnon splitting can be triggered even below threshold by exciting one of the secondary modes by magnons propagating in a waveguide next to the disk. The experiments show that stimulation is possible over an extended range of excitation powers and a wide range of frequencies around the eigenfrequencies of the secondary modes. Rate-equation calculations predict an instantaneous response to stimulation and the possibility to prematurely trigger three-magnon splitting even above threshold in a sustainable manner. These predictions are confirmed experimentally using time-resolved Brillouin-light-scattering measurements and are in a good qualitative agreement with the theoretical results. We believe that the controllable mechanism of stimulated three-magnon splitting could provide a possibility to utilize magnon-based nonlinear networks as hardware for reservoir or neuromorphic computing.

Magnetofluidics is a dynamic research field, which requires novel sensor solutions to boost the detection limit of tiny quantities of magnetized objects. Here, we present a sensing strategy relying on planar Hall Effect (PHE) sensors in digital microfluidics for the detection of a multiphase liquid flow, i.e. superparamagnetic aqueous droplets in an oil carrier phase. The high resolution of the sensor allows the detection of nanoliter-sized superparamagnetic droplets with a concentration of 0.58 mg/cm³, even when they are biased in a geomagnetic field only. The limit of detection can be boosted another order of magnitude reaching 0.04 mg/cm³ (1.4 million particles in a single 100 nl droplet) when a magnetic field of 5 mT is applied to bias the droplets. With this performance, our sensing platform outperforms the state-of-the-art solutions in digital magnetofluidics by a factor of 100. This allows us to detect ferrofluid droplets in clinically and biologically relevant concentrations and even below without the need of externally applied magnetic fields. These results open the route for new strategies of the utilization of ferrofluids in microfluidic geometries in e.g. bio(-chemical) or medical applications.

We report on the impact of nonlinear four-magnon scattering on magnon transport in microstructured waveguides with low magnetic damping. Using microfocused Brillouin light scattering, we analyze magnon propagation lengths in a broad range of excitation powers and observe a decrease of the attenuation length at high powers, which is consistent with the onset of nonlinear four-magnon scattering. Hence, when measuring magnon propagation lengths and deriving damping parameters from those results, one needs to be careful to stay in the linear regime. Otherwise, the intrinsic nonlinearity of magnetization dynamics may lead to a misinterpretation of magnon propagation lengths and, thus, to wrong values of the magnetic damping of the system.

We investigate magnetization dynamics in asymmetric interlayer exchange coupled Py/Ru/Py trilayers using both vector network analyzer-based and electrically-detected ferromagnetic resonance techniques. Two different ferromagnetic resonance modes, in-phase and out-of-phase, are observed across all three regimes of the static magnetization configurations, through antiparallel alignment at low fields, the spin-flop transition at intermediate fields and the parallel alignment at high fields. The non-monotonic behavior of the modes as a function of the external field is explained in detail by analyzing the interlayer exchange and Zeeman energies, and is found to be solely governed by the interplay of their dynamical components. In addition, the linewidths of both modes were determined across the three regimes and the different behaviors of the linewidths versus external magnetic field are attributed to mutual spin pumping induced in the samples. Interestingly, the difference between the linewidths of the out-of-phase and in-phase modes decreases at the spin-flop transition and is reversed between the antiparallel and parallel aligned magnetization states.

We realize an ultracompact nanocytometer for real-time impedimetric detection and classification of subpopulations ofliving cells. Nanoscopic nanowires in a microfluidic channel act asnanocapacitors and measure in real time the change of theamplitude and phase of the output voltage and, thus, the electricalproperties of living cells. We perform the cell classification in thehuman peripheral blood (PBMC) and demonstrate for thefirsttime the possibility to discriminate monocytes andsubpopulationsof lymphocytes in a label-free format. Further, we demonstrate thatthe PBMC of acute myeloid leukemia and healthy samples grantthe label free identification of the disease. Using the algorithmbased on machine learning, we generatedspecific data patternstodiscriminate healthy donors and leukemia patients. Such a solutionhas the potential to improve the traditional diagnostics approaches with respect to the overall cost and time effort, in a label-freeformat, and restrictions of the complex data analysis.

Synthetic nano- and micromotors interact with each other and their surroundings in a complex manner. Here, we report on the anisotropy of active-passive particle interaction in a soft matter system containing an immobile yet photochemical Ag/AgCl-based Janus particle embedded in a dense matrix of passive beads in pure water. The asymmetry in the chemical gradient around the Janus particle, triggered upon visible light illumination, distorts the isotropy of the surrounding electric potential and results in the repulsion of adjacent passive beads to a certain distance away from the Janus particle. This exclusion effect is found to be anisotropic with larger distances to passive beads in front of the Ag/AgCl cap of the Janus particle. We provide insight into this phenomenon by performing the angular analysis of the radii of exclusion and tracking their time evolution at the level of a single bead. Our study provides a novel fundamental insight into the collective behavior of a complex mixture of active and passive particles and is relevant for various application scenarios, e.g., particle transport at micro- and nanoscale and local chemical sensing.

The orientation of a chiral magnetic domain wall in a racetrack determines its dynamical properties. In equilibrium, magnetic domain walls are expected to be oriented perpendicular to the stripe axis. We demonstrate the appearance of a unidirectional domain wall tilt in out-of-plane magnetized stripes with biaxial anisotropy and Dzyaloshinskii--Moriya interaction (DMI). The tilt is a result of the interplay between the in-plane easy-axis anisotropy and DMI. We show that the additional anisotropy and DMI prefer different domain wall structure: anisotropy links the magnetization azimuthal angle inside the domain wall with the anisotropy direction in contrast to DMI, which prefers the magnetization perpendicular to the domain wall plane. Their balance with the energy gain due to domain wall extension defines the equilibrium magnetization the domain wall tilting. We demonstrate that the Walker field and the corresponding Walker velocity of the domain wall can be enhanced in the system supporting tilted walls.

Atomic scale defects generated using focused ion as well as laser beams can activate ferromagnetism in initially non-ferromagnetic B2 ordered alloy thin film templates. Such defects can be induced locally, confining the ferromagnetic objects within well-defined nanoscale regions. The characterization of these atomic scale defects is challenging, and the mechanism for the emergence of ferromagnetism due to sensitive lattice disordering is unclear. Here we directly probe a variety of microscopic defects in systematically disordered B2 FeRh thin films that are initially antiferromagnetic and undergo a thermally-driven isostructural phase transition to a volatile ferromagnetic state. We show that the presence of static disorder i.e., the slight deviations of atoms from their equilibrium sites is sufficient to induce a non-volatile ferromagnetic state at room temperature. A static mean square relative displacement of 9.10-4 Å-2 is associated with the occurrence of non-volatile ferromagnetism and replicates a snapshot of the dynamic disorder observed in the thermally-driven ferromagnetic state. The equivalence of static and dynamic disorder with respect to the ferromagnetic behavior can provide insights into the emergence of ferromagnetic coupling as well as achieving tunable magnetic properties through defect manipulations in alloys.

Acting at high speed enables creatures to survive in their harsh natural environments. They developed strategies for fast actuation that inspire technological embodiments like soft robots. Here, we demonstrate a series of simulation-guided lightweight, durable, and untethered soft-bodied robots performing large-degree deformations at unprecedentedly high frequencies of up to 200 Hz, driven at very low magnetic fields down to 0.5 mT, and exhibit a record high specific energy density of 10.8 kJ/m3/mT. Unforeseen nonlinear behavior of our robots is observed in experiments and analyzed by simulation, guiding future designs of soft-bodied robots. Our robots walk, swim, levitate, transport cargo, and can even catch a living fly unharmed. Such ultrafast soft robots with high-frequency oscillations can rapidly adapt to varying environmental conditions, inspire biomedical applications in confined environment, and serve as model systems to develop complex movements inspired by nature.

A combination of density functional theory (DFT) and an efficient calculation method based on Atomistic Kinetic Monte Carlo simulations (AKMC) is used to investigate the interdependence of oxygen (O) and vacancy (v) diffusion in bcc Fe and in dilute iron alloys with the substitutional atoms Y and Ti. Both O and v are considered as mobile while the substitutional atoms are assumed to be immobile. DFT is applied to determine the binding energy between O and v for different distances, the migration barriers for O in the environment of v, and the corresponding barriers of v in the vicinity of O. In agreement with previous work O and v have a very strong binding at the 1st neighbor distance. On the other hand, the calculations show that the Ov pair at the 6th neighbor distance is instable. The newly found simultaneous jumps of both O and v compensate the lack of jump paths that would occur due to this instability. The DFT results are employed to determine the diffusion coefficient of O and v using the AKMC-based calculation method. At first a model system with fixed O and v concentrations is studied. It is found that even a small v content of some ppm can lead to a strong reduction of the O diffusivity. A similar effect is obtained for v diffusion under the influence of O. Furthermore, investigations on the interdependence of O and v diffusion in the first phase of thermal processing of oxide dispersion strengthened iron alloys are performed, and the influence of the substitutional atoms Y and Ti is studied. A simple thermodynamic model is employed to determine the concentration of O, Y, and Ti monomers as well as the total v concentration, for a typical total content of O, Y, and Ti. These results are used in calculations of the diffusion coefficients of O and v. Not only a strong mutual dependence but also a significant influence of Y on O diffusion is found. Finally, O and v diffusivities in a system with an O content close to the thermal solubility are calculated, wh

Interfaces separating ferromagnetic (FM) layers from non-ferromagnetic layers offer unique properties due to spin-orbit coupling and symmetry breaking, yielding effects such as exchange bias, perpendicular magnetic anisotropy, spin-pumping, spin-transfer torques, conversion between charge and spin currents and vice-versa. These interfacial phenomena play crucial roles for magnetic data storage and transfer applications, which require forming FM nano-structures embedded in non-ferromagnetic matrices. Here, we investigate the possiblity of creating such nano-structures by ion-irradiation. We study the effect of lateral confinement on the ion-irradiation-induced reduction of non-magnetic metal oxides (e.g., antiferro- or paramagnetic) to ferromagnetic metals. Our findings are later exploited to form 3-dimensional magnetic interfaces between Co, CoO and Pt by spatially-selective irradiation of CoO/Pt multilayers. We demonstrate that the mechanical displacement of the O atoms plays a crucial role during their reduction from insulating, non-ferromagnetic Co oxides to metallic Co. Metallic Co yields both perpendicular magnetic anisotropy in the generated Co/Pt nano-structures, and, at low temperatures, exchange bias at vertical interfaces between Co and CoO. If pushed to the limit of ion-irradiation technology, this approach could, in principle, enable the creation of densely-packed, atomic scale ferromagnetic point-contact spin-torque oscillator (STO) networks, or conductive channels for current-conned-path based current perpendicular-to-plane giant magnetoresistance read-heads.

Here, we present an analytical and numerical model describing the magnetization dynamics in MgO-based spin-torque nano-oscillators with an in-plane magnetized polarizer and an out-of-plane free layer. We introduce the spin-transfer torque asymmetry by considering the cosine angular dependence of the magnetoresistance between the two magnetic layers in the stack. For the analytical solution, dynamics are determined by assuming a circular precession trajectory around the direction perpendicular to the plane, as set by the effective field, and calculating the energy integral over a single precession period. In a more realistic approach, we include the bias dependence of the tunnel magnetoresistance, which is assumed empirically to be a piecewise linear function of the applied voltage. The dynamical states are found by solving the stability condition for the Jacobian matrix for out-of-plane static states. We find that the bias dependence of the tunnel magnetoresistance, which is an inseparable effect in every tunnel junction, exhibits drastic impact on the spin-torque nano-oscillator phase diagram, mainly by increasing the critical current for dynamics and quenching the oscillations at high currents. The results are in good agreement with our experimental data published elsewhere.

Arrays of interacting 2D nanomagnets display unprecedented electromagnetic properties via collective effects, demonstrated in artificial spin ices and magnonic crystals. Progress toward 3D magnetic metamaterials is hampered by two challenges: fabricating 3D structures near intrinsic magnetic length scales (sub-100 nm) and visualizing their magnetic configurations. Here, we fabricate and measure nanoscale magnetic gyroids, periodic chiral networks comprising nanowire-like struts forming three-connected vertices. Via block copolymer templating, we produce Ni75Fe25 single-gyroid and double-gyroid (an inversion pair of single-gyroids) nanostructures with a 42 nm unit cell and 11 nm diameter struts, comparable to the exchange length in Ni–Fe. We visualize their magnetization distributions via off-axis electron holography with nanometer spatial resolution and interpret the patterns using finite-element micromagnetic simulations. Our results suggest an intricate, frustrated remanent state which is ferromagnetic but without a unique equilibrium configuration, opening new possibilities for collective phenomena in magnetism, including 3D magnonic crystals and unconventional computing.

In the last decade, two revolutionary concepts in nanomagnetism emerged from research for storage technologies and advanced information processing. The first suggests the use of magnetic domain walls in ferromagnetic nanowires to permanently store information in domain-wall racetrack memories. The second proposes a hardware realization of neuromorphic computing in nanomagnets using nonlinear magnetic oscillations in the gigahertz range. Both ideas originate from the transfer of angular momentum from conduction electrons to localized spins in ferromagnets, either to push data encoded in domain walls along nanowires or to sustain magnetic oscillations in artificial neurones. Even though both concepts share a common ground, they live on very different timescales which rendered them incompatible so far. Here, we bridge both ideas by demonstrating the excitation of magnetic auto-oscillations inside nanoscale domain walls using pure spin currents. This Letter will shed light on the current characteristic and spatial distribution of the excited auto-oscillations.

The Institute of Ion Beam Physics and Materials Research conducts materials research for future applications in, e.g., information technology. To this end, we make use of the various possibilities offered by our Ion Beam Center (IBC) for synthesis, modification, and analysis of thin films and nanostructures, as well as of the free-electron laser FELBE at HZDR for THz spectroscopy. The analyzed materials range from semiconductors and oxides to metals and magnetic materials. They are investigated with the goal to optimize their electronic, magnetic, optical as well as structural functionality. This research is embedded in the Helmholtz Association’s programme “From Matter to Materials and Life”. Seven publications from last year are highlighted in this Annual Report to illustrate the wide scientific spectrum of our institute. After the scientific evaluation in the framework of the Helmholtz Programme-Oriented Funding (POF) in 2018 we had some time to concentrate on science again before end of the year a few of us again had to prepare for the strategic evaluation which took place in January 2020, which finally was also successful for the Institute. In 2019, there have been a number of organizational changes. First, and most prominently, we were able to hire Prof. Dr. Anton Wallner as new head of our department Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) and Isotope Research. This appointment is jointly with the TU Dresden where Toni has recei¬ved a chair in the Institute of Nuclear and Particle Physics. Along with this employment, our scientific advisory board and board of trustees approved the acquisition of a dedicated 1 MV accele¬rator for AMS including a laser detachment system. With this move, we hope to widen the scope of the user facility Ion Beam Center to new user communities in the field of nuclear astrophysics, environmental and geosciences. Second, the department Ion Beam Center is now headed by Dr. Stefan Facsko, who took over the responsibility from Dr. Johannes

We utilized the following methods in order to obtain the presented data: micro focused Brilluoin light scattering (BLS), micromagnetic simulations in MuMax3 and micro focused magneto-optical Kerr effect (MOKE). The experimental data were obtained on the sample which is labeled with: 'CoFe_WMI_6'. On that sample, we investigated the structures 'E1' and 'F1' which are essentially rectangular stripes (5 micrometer x 65 micrometer, thickness: 30 nm) out of Co25Fe75 alloy. The metadata for all measurements (including ALL parameters) are included in the uploaded primary data subdirectories. The references to the directory of the measured data within our local IT infrastructure are given along with the files themselves. All scripts that were used for data analysis (in Python) are included as well with a short description.

We utilized the following methods to obtain the presented data: optically detected magnetic resonance (ODMR), photoluminescence spectroscopy, and micromagnetic simulations in Mumax3. The experimental data were obtained on the sample which is labeled as: "HPSI 4H-SiC 30 Magnon Q #2". On that sample we investigated magnetic ellipses, sized 8 micrometer x 2 micrometer, made of Permalloy, that lie on top of a silicon carbide substrate. The measured data for all measurements (including ALL parameters) are included in the uploaded primary data subdirectories. The uploaded data is organized in folders according to the figures in the paper. Each folder contains the experimental data, together with the MuMax3 definition files, all the possible possible scripts used for evaluation and all figures included in the paper. This is the final version with the reviewers' corrections.