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Spin waves in yttrium iron garnet (YIG) nano-structures attract increasing attention from the perspective of novel magnon-based data processing applications. For short wavelengths needed in small-scale devices, the group velocity is directly proportional to the spin-wave exchange stiffness constant $\lambda_\mathrm{ex}$. Using wave vector resolved Brillouin Light Scattering (BLS) spectroscopy, we directly measure $\lambda_\mathrm{ex}$ in Ga-substituted YIG thin films and show that it is about three times larger than for pure YIG. Consequently, the spin-wave group velocity overcomes the one in pure YIG for wavenumbers $k > 4$ rad/$\mu$m, and the ratio between the velocities reaches a constant value of around 3.4 for all $k > 20$ rad/$\mu$m. As revealed by vibrating-sample magnetometry (VSM) and ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) spectroscopy, Ga:YIG films with thicknesses down to 59 nm have a low Gilbert damping ($\alpha < 10^{-3}$), a decreased saturation magnetization $\mu_0 M_\mathrm{S}~\approx~20~$mT and a pronounced out-of-plane uniaxial anisotropy of about $\mu_0 H_{\textrm{u1}} \approx 95 $ mT which leads to an out-of-plane easy axis. Thus, Ga:YIG opens access to fast and isotropic spin-wave transport for all wavelengths in nano-scale systems independently of dipolar effects., Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, 39 references, Supplemental material

Magnonics is a field of science that addresses the physical properties of spin waves and utilizes them for data processing. Scalability down to atomic dimensions, operations in the GHz-to-THz frequency range, utilization of nonlinear and nonreciprocal phenomena, and compatibility with CMOS are just a few of many advantages offered by magnons. Although magnonics is still primarily positioned in the academic domain, the scientific and technological challenges of the field are being extensively investigated, and many proof-of-concept prototypes have already been realized in laboratories. This roadmap is a product of the collective work of many authors that covers versatile spin-wave computing approaches, conceptual building blocks, and underlying physical phenomena. In particular, the roadmap discusses the computation operations with Boolean digital data, unconventional approaches like neuromorphic computing, and the progress towards magnon-based quantum computing. The article is organized as a collection of sub-sections grouped into seven large thematic sections. Each sub-section is prepared by one or a group of authors and concludes with a brief description of the current challenges and the outlook of the further development of the research directions., Comment: 74 pages, 57 figures, 500 references

We present the experimental demonstration of the parallel parametric generation of spin-waves in a microscaled yttrium iron garnet waveguide with nanoscale thickness. Using Brillouin light scattering microscopy, we observe the excitation of the first and second waveguide modes generated by a stripline microwave pumping source. Micromagnetic simulations reveal the wave vector of the parametrically generated spin-waves. Based on analytical calculations, which are in excellent agreement with our experiments and simulations, we prove that the spin-wave radiation losses are the determinative term of the parametric instability threshold in this miniaturized system. The used method enables the direct excitation and amplification of nanometer spin-waves dominated by exchange interactions. Our results pave the way for integrated magnonics based on insulating nano-magnets., Comment: 10 pages, 3 figures

Magnon Bose-Einstein Condensates (BECs) and supercurrents are coherent quantum phenomena, which appear on a macroscopic scale in parametrically populated solid state spinsystems. One of the most fascinating and attractive features of these processes is the possibility of magnon condensation and supercurrent excitation even at room temperature. At the same time, valuable information about a magnon BEC state, such as its lifetime, its formation threshold, and coherency, is provided by experiments at various temperatures. Here, we use Brillouin Light Scattering (BLS) spectroscopy for the investigation of the magnon BEC dynamics in a single-crystal film of yttrium iron garnet in a wide temperature range from 30 K to 380 K. By comparing the BLS results with previous microwave measurements, we re-vealed the direct relation between the damping of the condensed and the parametrically injected magnons. The enhanced supercurrent dynamics was detected at 180 K near the minimum of BEC damping.

Resonant enhancement of spin Seebeck effect (SSE) due to phonons was recently discovered in Y3Fe5O12 (YIG). This effect is explained by hybridization between the magnon and phonon dispersions. However, this effect was observed at low temperatures and high magnetic fields, limiting the scope for applications. Here we report observation of phonon-resonant enhancement of SSE at room temperature and low magnetic field. We observed in Lu2BiFe4GaO12 and enhancement 700 % greater than that in a YIG film and at very low magnetic fields around 10-1 T, almost one order of magnitude lower than that of YIG. The result can be explained by the change in the magnon dispersion induced by magnetic compensation due to the presence of non-magnetic ion substitutions. Our study provides a way to tune the magnon response in a crystal by chemical doping with potential applications for spintronic devices., Comment: 17 pages, 4 figures

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., Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures

The existence of backscattering-immune spin-wave modes is demonstrated in magnetic thin films of nano-scale thickness. Our results reveal that chiral Magneto Static Surface Waves (cMSSWs), which propagate perpendicular to the magnetization direction in an in-plane magnetized thin film, are robust against backscattering from surface defects. cMSSWs are protected against various types of surface inhomogeneities and defects as long as their frequency lies inside the gap of the volume modes. Our explanation is independent of the topology of the modes and predicts that this robustness is a consequence of symmetry breaking of the dynamic magnetic fields of cMSSWs due to the off-diagonal part of the dipolar interaction tensor, which is present both for long- (dipole dominated) and short-wavelength (exchange dominated) spin waves. Micromagnetic simulations confirm the robust character of the cMSSWs. Our results open a new direction in designing highly efficient magnonic logic elements and devices employing cMSSWs in nano-scale thin films., Comment: 7 pages

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., Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1701.02094

We investigate the effect of Al doping on the magnetic properties of the alloy CoFeB. Comparative measurements of the saturation magnetization, the Gilbert damping parameter $\alpha$ and the exchange constant as a function of the annealing temperature for CoFeB and CoFeAlB thin films are presented. Our results reveal a strong reduction of the magnetization for CoFeAlB in comparison to CoFeB. If the prepared CoFeAlB films are amorphous, the damping parameter $\alpha$ is unaffected by the Al doping in comparison to the CoFeB alloy. In contrast, in the case of a crystalline CoFeAlB film, $\alpha$ is found to be reduced. Furthermore, the x-ray characterization and the evolution of the exchange constant with the annealing temperature indicate a similar crystallization process in both alloys. The data proves the suitability of CoFeAlB for spin torque switching properties where a reduction of the switching current in comparison with CoFeB is expected., Comment: 5 Pages, 5 Figures

Magnons - the quanta of spin waves - propagating in magnetic materials with wavelengths at the nanometer-scale and carrying information in the form of an angular momentum, can be used as data carriers in next-generation, nano-sized low-loss information processing systems. In this respect, artificial magnetic materials with properties periodically varied in space, known as magnonic crystals, are especially promising for controlling and manipulating the magnon currents. In this article, different approaches for the realization of static, reconfigurable, and dynamic magnonic crystals are presented along with a variety of novel wave phenomena discovered in these crystals. Special attention is devoted to the utilization of magnonic crystals for processing of analog and digital information., Comment: 37 pages, 9 figures, 2 tables

We investigate spin pumping phenomena in polycrystalline CoFeB/Pt and CoFeB/Ta bilayers and the correlation between the effective spin mixing conductance $g^{\uparrow\downarrow}_{\rm eff}$ and the obtained voltages generated by the spin-to-charge current conversion via the inverse spin Hall effect in the Pt and Ta layers. For this purpose we measure the in-plane angular dependence of the generated voltages on the external static magnetic field and we apply a model to separate the spin pumping signal from the one generated by the spin rectification effect in the magnetic layer. Our results reveal a dominating role of anomalous Hall effect for the spin rectification effect with CoFeB and a lack of correlation between $g^{\uparrow\downarrow}_{\rm eff}$ and inverse spin Hall voltages pointing to a strong role of the magnetic proximity effect in Pt in understanding the observed increased damping. This is additionally reflected on the presence of a linear dependency of the Gilbert damping parameter on the Pt thickness., Comment: 6 Pages, 5 Figures

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., Comment: 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

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., Comment: In contrast to the previous version additional information has been added. The chemical potential was derived from BLS measurements, the influence of the spin Seebeck effect is discussed more extensively in the Supplement with respect to the theoretical model and the rapid cooling has been realized in Au/Al/YIG structures where no substantial contribution of the spin Seebeck effect is expected

Featuring low heat dissipation, devices based on spin-wave logic gates promise to comply with increasing future requirements in information processing. In this work, we present the experimental realization of a majority gate based on the interference of spin waves in an Yttrium-Iron-Garnet-based waveguiding structure. This logic device features a three-input combiner with the logic information encoded in the phase of the spin waves. We show that the phase of the output signal represents the majority of the phase of the input signals. A switching time of about 10 ns in the prototype device provides evidence for the ability of sub-nanosecond data processing in future down-scaled devices., Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures

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.

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 N\'eel 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.

We report evidence for the existence of a supercurrent of magnons in a magnon Bose-Einstein condensate prepared in a room temperature yttrium-iron-garnet magnetic film and subject to a thermal gradient. The magnon condensate is formed in a parametrically populated magnon gas, and its temporal evolution is studied by time-, frequency- and wavector-resolved Brillouin light scattering spectroscopy. It has been found that local heating in the focal point of a probing laser beam enhances the temporal decrease in the density of the freely evolving magnon condensate after the termination of the pumping pulse, but it does not alter the relaxation dynamics of the gaseous magnon phase. This phenomenon is understood as the appearance of a magnon supercurrent within the condensate due to a temperature- and, consequently, magnetisation-gradient induced phase gradient in the condensate wave function.

Thermalization of a parametrically driven magnon gas leading to the formation of a Bose-Einstein condensate at the bottom of a spin-wave spectrum was studied by time- and wavevector-resolved Brillouin light scattering spectroscopy. It has been found that the condensation is preceded by the conversion of initially pumped magnons into a second group of frequency degenerated magnons, which appear due to parametrically stimulated scattering of the initial magnons to a short-wavelength spectral region. In contrast to the first magnon group, which wavevectors are orthogonal to the wavevectors of the magnons at the lowest energy states, the secondary magnons can effectively scatter to the bottom of the spectrum and condense there.

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 {\mu}m is observed which is a significant step towards low damping, insulator based micro-magnonics.

We present temporal evolution of the spin Seebeck effect in a YIG|Pt bilayer system. Our findings reveal that this effect is a sub-microseconds fast phenomenon governed by the temperature gradient and the thermal magnons diffusion in the magnetic materials. A comparison of experimental results with the thermal-driven magnon-diffusion model shows that the temporal behavior of this effect depends on the time development of the temperature gradient in the vicinity of the YIG|Pt interface. The effective thermal-magnon diffusion length for YIG|Pt systems is estimated to be around 700nm., Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures

The dependence of the spin-pumping effect on the yttrium iron garnet (Y3Fe5O12, YIG) thickness detected by the inverse spin Hall effect (ISHE) has been investigated quantitatively. Due to the spin-pumping effect driven by the magnetization precession in the ferrimagnetic insulator YIG film a spin-polarized electron current is injected into the Pt layer. This spin current is transformed into electrical charge current by means of the ISHE. An increase of the ISHE-voltage with increasing film thickness is observed and compared to the theoretically expected behavior. The effective damping parameter of the YIG/Pt samples is found to be enhanced with decreasing YIG film thickness. The investigated samples exhibit a spin mixing conductance of g=(7.43 \pm 0.36) \times 10^{18} m^{-2} and a spin Hall angle of theta_{ISHE} = 0.009 \pm 0.0008. Furthermore, the influence of nonlinear effects on the generated voltage and on the Gilbert damping parameter at high excitation powers are revealed. It is shown that for small YIG film thicknesses a broadening of the linewidth due to nonlinear effects at high excitation powers is suppressed because of a lack of nonlinear multi-magnon scattering channels. We have found that the variation of the spin-pumping efficiency for thick YIG samples exhibiting pronounced nonlinear effects is much smaller than the nonlinear enhancement of the damping.

The dependence of the spin pumping efficiency and the spin mixing conductance on the surface processing of yttrium iron garnet (YIG) before the platinum (Pt) deposition has been investigated quantitatively. The ferromagnetic resonance driven spin pumping injects a spin polarized current into the Pt layer, which is transformed into an electromotive force by the inverse spin Hall effect. Our experiments show that the spin pumping effect indeed strongly depends on the YIG/Pt interface condition. We measure an enhancement of the inverse spin Hall voltage and the spin mixing conductance of more than two orders of magnitude with improved sample preparation.

We experimentally demonstrate the manipulation of magnetization relaxation utilizing a temperature difference across the thickness of an yttrium iron garnet/platinum (YIG/Pt) hetero-structure: the damping is either increased or decreased depending on the sign of the temperature gradient. This effect might be explained by a thermally-induced spin torque on the magnetization precession. The heat-induced variation of the damping is detected by microwave techniques as well as by a DC voltage caused by spin pumping into the adjacent Pt layer and the subsequent conversion into a charge current by the inverse spin Hall effect.

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.

The spectral distribution of parametrically excited dipole-exchange magnons in an in-plane magnetized epitaxial film of yttrium-iron garnet was studied by means of frequency- and wavevector-resolved Brillouin light scattering spectroscopy. The experiment was performed in a parallel pumping geometry where an exciting microwave magnetic field was parallel to the magnetizing field. It was found that for both dipolar and exchange spectral areas parallel pumping excites the lowest volume magnon modes propagating in the film plane perpendicularly to the magnetization direction. In order to interpret the experimental observations, we used a microscopic Heisenberg model that includes exchange as well as dipole-dipole interactions to calculate the magnon spectrum and construct the eigenstates. As proven in our calculations, the observed magnons are characterized by having the highest possible ellipticity of precession which suggests the lowest threshold of parametric generation. Applying different pumping powers we observe modifications in the magnon spectrum that are described theoretically by a softening of the spin stiffness.

The potential to control the number of the spin-wave band gaps of a magnonic crystal (MC) by variation of its geometry is investigated by numerical simulations. The magnonic crystal is represented by a micro-sized planar ferromagnetic waveguide with periodically variable width. By choosing a step-like or sinusoidal variation of the width, the magnonic crystal reveals multiple or single band gaps, respectively. This allows for additional degrees of freedom in the design of MC based microwave filters and phase shifters with desired characteristics. The MCs band gaps have been studied in the space and frequency domains exploring the spin-wave spectrum dependence on the probing position inside the magnonic crystal., Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures

Conversion of traveling magnons into an electron carried spin current is demonstrated in a time resolved experiment using a spatially separated inductive spin-wave source and an inverse spin Hall effect (ISHE) detector. A short spin-wave packet is excited in a yttrium-iron garnet (YIG) waveguide by a microwave signal and is detected at a distance of 3 mm by an attached Pt layer as a delayed ISHE voltage pulse. The delay in the detection appears due to the finite spin-wave group velocity and proves the magnon spin transport. The experiment suggests utilization of spin waves for the information transfer over macroscopic distances in spintronic devices and circuits., Comment: 3 pages, 4 figures

We study spin-wave transport in a microstructured Ni81Fe19 waveguide exhibiting broken translational symmetry. We observe the conversion of a beam profile composed of symmetric spin-wave width modes with odd numbers of antinodes n=1,3,... into a mixed set of symmetric and asymmetric modes. Due to the spatial homogeneity of the exciting field along the used microstrip antenna, quantized spin-wave modes with an even number n of antinodes across the stripe's width cannot be directly excited. We show that a break in translational symmetry may result in a partial conversion of even spin-wave waveguide modes

Using a Pt/Y3Fe5O12 (YIG) hybrid structure attached to a piezoelectric actuator, we demonstrate the generation of spin currents from sound waves. This "acoustic spin pumping" (ASP) is caused by the sound wave generated by the piezoelectric actuator, which then modulates the distribution function of magnons in the YIG layer and results in a pure-spin-current injection into the Pt layer across the Pt/YIG interface. In the Pt layer, this injected spin current is converted into an electric voltage due to the inverse spin-Hall effect (ISHE). The ISHE voltage induced by the ASP is detected by measuring voltage in the Pt layer at the piezoelectric resonance frequency of the actuator coupled with the Pt/YIG system. The frequency-dependent measurements enable us to separate the ASP-induced signals from extrinsic heating effects. Our model calculation based on the linear response theory provides us with a qualitative and quantitative understanding of the ASP in the Pt/YIG system., Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures

The phenomenon of wave trapping in an artificial crystal with limited number of periods is demonstrated experimentally using spin waves in a magnonic crystal. The information stored in the crystal is recovered afterwards by parametric amplification of the trapped wave. The storage process is based on the excitation of standing internal crystal modes and differs principally from the well-known phenomenon of deceleration of light in photonic crystals., Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures

Collapse of an intense (2+1)-dimensional wave packet in a medium with cubic nonlinearity and a two-dimensional dispersion of an order higher than parabolic is studied both theoretically and experimentally. The carrier waves are microwave backward volume spin waves which propagate in a stripe made from a thin ferrimagnetic film and the packet is a spin-wave bullet. We show that before being self-destroyed the bullet irradiates untrapped dispersive waves, which is in agreement with a previous theoretical prediction. Since, in addition, the ferromagnetic medium is characterized by an induced uniaxial anisotropy, this radiation takes the form of narrow beams of continuous waves at very specific angles to its propagation direction. Based on our theoretical calculations we find that these beams are caustic beams and the angles are the characteristic spin-wave caustic angles modified by the motion of the source., Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures

We determine the dynamic magnetization induced in non-magnetic metal wedges composed of silver, copper and platinum by means of Brillouin light scattering (BLS) microscopy. The magnetization is transferred from a ferromagnetic Ni80Fe20 layer to the metal wedge via the spin pumping effect. The spin pumping efficiency can be controlled by adding an insulating but transparent interlayer between the magnetic and non-magnetic layer. By comparing the experimental results to a dynamical macroscopic spin-transport model we determine the transverse relaxation time of the pumped spin current which is much smaller than the longitudinal relaxation time.

It is demonstrated that upon pulsed microwave excitation, the temporal behavior of a spin-wave induced inverse spin Hall voltage in a magnetic insulator-nonmagnetic metal structure is distinctly different from the temporal evolution of the directly excited spin-wave mode from which it originates. The difference in temporal behavior is attributed to the excitation of long-lived secondary spin-wave modes localized at the insulator-metal interface.

The spin pumping efficiency of lateral standing spin wave modes in a rectangular YIG/Pt sample has been investigated by means of the inverse spin-Hall effect (ISHE). The standing spin waves drive spin pumping, the generation of spin currents from magnetization precession, into the Pt layer which is converted into a detectable voltage due to the ISHE. We discovered that the spin pumping efficiency is significantly higher for lateral standing surface spin waves rather than for volume spin wave modes. The results suggest that the use of higher-mode surface spin waves allows for the fabrication of an efficient spin-current injector.

We report on the fast relaxation behavior of a high-density magnon gas created by a parametric amplification process. The magnon gas is probed using the technique of spin-wave packet recovery by parallel parametric pumping. Experimental results show a damping behavior which is in disagreement with both the standard model of exponential decay and with earlier observations of non-linear damping. In particular, the inherent magnon damping is found to depend upon the presence of the parametric pumping field. A phenomenological model which accounts for the dephasing of the earlier injected magnons is in good agreement with the experimental data.

Brillouin light scattering spectroscopy is a powerful technique for the study of fast magnetization dynamics with both frequency- and wavevector resolution. Here, we report on a distinct improvement of this spectroscopic technique towards two-dimensional wide-range wavevector selectivity in a backward scattering geometry. Spin-wave wavevectors oriented perpendicular to the bias magnetic field are investigated by tilting the sample within the magnet gap. Wavevectors which are oriented parallel to the applied magnetic field are analyzed by turning the entire setup, including the magnet system. The setup features a wide selectivity of wavevectors up to 2.04\cdot 10E5 rad/cm for both orientations, and allows selecting and measuring wavevectors of dipole- and exchange-dominated spin waves of any orientation to the magnetization simultaneously.

Spontaneous excitation of the dominant mode in a spin-wave active ring -- a self-exciting positive-feedback system incorporating a spin-wave transmission structure -- occurs at a certain threshold value of external gain. In general, the wavenumber of the dominant mode is extremely sensitive to the properties and environment of the spin-wave transmission medium, and is almost impossible to predict. In this letter, we report on a backward volume magnetostatic spin-wave active ring system incorporating a magnonic crystal. When mode enhancement conditions -- readily predicted by a theoretical model -- are satisfied, the ring geometry permits highly robust and consistent forced dominant wavenumber selection., Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures

Transmission of microwave spin waves through a microstructured magnonic crystal in the form of a permalloy waveguide of a periodically varying width was studied experimentally and theoretically. The spin wave characteristics were measured by spatially-resolved Brillouin light scattering microscopy. A rejection frequency band was clearly observed. The band gap frequency was controlled by the applied magnetic field. The measured spin-wave intensity as a function of frequency and propagation distance is in good agreement with a model calculation., Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures

It is demonstrated that non-resonant wave front reversal (WFR) of spin-wave pulses caused by pulsed parametric pumping can be effectively used for microwave signal processing. When the frequency band of signal amplification by pumping is narrower than the spectral width of the signal, the non-resonant WFR can be used for the analysis of the signal spectrum. In the opposite case the non-resonant WFR can be used for active (with amplification) filtering of the input signal., Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures

We report on the observation of reverse Doppler effect in backward spin waves reflected off of surface acoustic waves. The spin waves are excited in a yttrium iron garnet (YIG) film. Simultaneously, acoustic waves are also generated. The strain induced by the acoustic waves in the magnetostrictive YIG film results in the periodic modulation of the magnetic anisotropy in the film. Thus, in effect, a travelling Bragg grating for the spin waves is produced. The backward spin waves reflecting off of this grating exhibit a reverse Doppler shift: shifting down rather than up in frequency when reflecting off of an approaching acoustic wave. Similarly, the spin waves are shifted up in frequency when reflecting from receding acoustic waves., Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures

The microwave assisted magnetisation reversal is modelled in a permalloy micron-sized magnetic ellipsoid. Our simulations confirm that this process requires less field than magnetisation reversal under a static field. This is due to a different reversal mode which in case of the microwave-assisted process is always a ripple structure. During the magnetisation reversal two stages: nucleation and relaxation are distinguished. The nucleation process is governed by spinwave instabilities. The relaxation process is related to the domain expansion through domain wall propagation determined by the precessional motion of magnetic moments in the center of the domain walls. As a consequence, the switching time is a complex oscillating function of the microwave frequency.

We have investigated the generation of spin waves in the free layer of an extended spin-valve structure with a nano-scaled point contact driven by both microwave and direct electric current using Brillouin light scattering microscopy. Simultaneously with the directly excited spin waves, strong nonlinear effects are observed, namely the generation of eigenmodes with integer multiple frequencies (2 \emph{f}, 3 \emph{f}, 4 \emph{f}) and modes with non-integer factors (0.5 \emph{f}, 1.5 \emph{f}) with respect to the excitation frequency \emph{f}. The origin of these nonlinear modes is traced back to three magnon scattering processes. The direct current influence on the generation of the fundamental mode at frequency \emph{f} can be related to the spin-transfer torque, while the efficiency of three-magnon-scattering processes is controlled by the Oersted field as an additional effect of the direct current.

We demonstrate a current-controlled, dynamic magnonic crystal. It consists of a ferrite film whose internal magnetic field exhibits a periodic, cosine-like variation. The field modulation is created by a direct current flowing through an array of parallel wires placed on top of a spin-wave waveguide. A single, pronounced rejection band in the spin-wave transmission characteristics is formed due to spin-wave scattering from the inhomogeneous magnetic field. With increasing current the rejection band depth and its width increase strongly. The magnonic crystal allows a fast control of its operational characteristics via the applied direct current. Simulations confirm the experimental results., Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures

The operational characteristics of a magnonic crystal, which was fabricated as an array of shallow grooves etched on a surface of a magnetic film, were compared for magnetostatic surface spin waves and backward volume magnetostatic spin waves. In both cases the formation of rejection frequency bands was studied as a function of the grooves depth. It has been found that the rejection of the volume wave is considerably larger than of the surface one. The influences of the nonreciprocity of the surface spin waves as well as of the scattering of the lowest volume spin-wave mode into higher thickness volume modes on the rejection efficiency are discussed.

Brillouin light scattering spectroscopy is a powerful technique which incorporates several extensions such as space-, time-, phase- and wave-vector resolution. Here, we report on the improvement of the wave-vector resolution by including an electro-optical modulator. This provides a reference to calibrate the position of the diaphragm hole which is used for wave-vector selection. The accuracy of this calibration is only limited by the accuracy of the wave-vector measurement itself. To demonstrate the validity of the approach the wave vectors of dipole-dominated spin waves excited by a microstrip antenna were measured., Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures

Microstrip transducers used for the excitation of spin waves in magnetic films possess two characteristic properties: high spatial localization of the microwave magnetic field and the presence of field components parallel and perpendicular to the bias field. Here, the effects of these features on the process of parametric pumping are presented. By microwave measurements of the spin-wave instability threshold a transition from parallel pumping to perpendicular pumping at the critical field $H_{\rm c}$ with the minimal threshold is observed. This transition is accompanied by a sharp threshold increase above the critical field due to the spatial confinement of the pump region., Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures

A recently reported phase sensitive Brillouin light scattering technique is improved by use of a magnetic modulator. This modulator is based on Brillouin light scattering in a thin ferrite film. Using this magnetic modulator in time- and space Brillouin light scattering measurements we have increased phase contrast and excluded influence of optical inhomogeneities in the sample. We also demonstrate that the quality of the resulting interference patterns can be improved by data postprocessing using the simultaneously recorded information about the reference light.