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We study the auto-oscillating magnetodynamics in orthogonal spin-torque nano-oscillators (STNOs) as a function of the out-of-plane (OOP) magnetic-field angle. In perpendicular fields and at OOP field angles down to approximately 50°, we observe the nucleation of a droplet. However, for field angles below 50°, experiments indicate that the droplet gives way to propagating spin waves, in agreement with our micromagnetic simulations. Theoretical calculations show that the physical mechanism behind these observations is the sign changing of spin-wave nonlinearity (SWN) by angle. In addition, we show that the presence of a strong perpendicular magnetic anisotropy free layer in the system reverses the angular dependence of the SWN and dynamics in STNOs with respect to the known behavior determined for the in-plane magnetic anisotropy free layer. Our results are of fundamental interest in understanding the rich dynamics of nanoscale solitons and spin-wave dynamics in STNOs., QC 20180524

We present an efficient method to tailor propagating spin waves in quasi-confined systems. We use nanocontact spin-torque nano-oscillators based on NiFe/Cu/Co spin-valves and study the ferromagnetic and spin-wave resonances (FMR and SWR) of both layers. We employ homodyne-detected ferromagnetic resonance spectroscopy, resembling spin-torque FMR, to detect the magnetodynamics. The external field is applied in-plane, giving a parallel configuration of the magnetic layers, which do not provide any spin-transfer torque. Instead, the excitation is caused by the Oersted-field. By varying the thickness of the bottom Cu electrode of the devices, we tune the current distribution in the samples, and thereby the Oersted field, which governs the spin wave characteristics., QC 20180524

Nano-contact spin-torque vortex oscillators (STVOs) are anticipated to find application as nanoscale sources of microwave emission in future technological applications. Presently the output power and phase stability of individual STVOs are not competitive with existing oscillator technologies. Synchronisation of multiple nano-contact STVOs via magnetisation dynamics has been proposed to enhance the microwave emission. The control of device-to-device variations, such as mode splitting of the microwave emission, is essential if multiple STVOs are to be successfully synchronised. In this work a combination of electrical measurements and time-resolved scanning Kerr microscopy (TRSKM) was used to demonstrate how mode splitting in the microwave emission of STVOs was related to the magnetisation dynamics that are generated. The free-running STVO response to a DC current only was used to identify devices and bias magnetic field configurations for which single and multiple modes of microwave emission were observed. Stroboscopic Kerr images were acquired by injecting a small amplitude RF current to phase lock the free-running STVO response. The images showed that the magnetisation dynamics of a multimode device with moderate splitting could be controlled by the injected RF current so that they exhibit similar spatial character to that of a single mode. Significant splitting was found to result from a complicated equilibrium magnetic state that was observed in Kerr images as irregular spatial characteristics of the magnetisation dynamics. Such dynamics were observed far from the nano-contact and so their presence cannot be detected in electrical measurements. This work demonstrates that TRSKM is a powerful tool for the direct observation of the magnetisation dynamics generated by STVOs that exhibit complicated microwave emission. Characterisation of such dynamics outside the nano-contact perimeter permits a deeper insight into the requirements for optimal phase-locking of mult, QC 20170510

This study reports on the fabrication and thermo-physical properties evaluation of ethylene glycol (EG) based heat exchange fluids containing molybdenum disulfide nanoparticles (MoS2 NPs) and micrometer sized particles (MPs). For this purpose, MoS2 NPs and MPs (with average size of 90 nm and 1.2 mu m; respectively) were dispersed and stabilized in EG with particle loading of 0.25, 0.5, 1 wt%. To study the real effect of MoS2 NP/MP the use of surfactants was avoided and ultrasonic agitation was used for dispersion and preparation of stable MoS2 NFs/MFs. The objectives were investigation of impact of MoS2 particle size (including NP/MP) and particle loading on thermo-physical properties of EG based MoS2 NFs/MFs including thermal conductivity (TC) and viscosity of NFs/MFs at 20 degrees C. All suspensions (NFs/MFs) exhibited a higher TC than the EG as base liquid and NFs showed higher TC enhancement values than the MFs. A TC enhancement of 16.4% was observed for NFs containing 1 wt % MoS2 NPs while the maximum increase in viscosity of 9.7% was obtained for the same NF at 20 degrees C. It indicates this NF system may have some potential to be utilized in heat transfer applications., QC 20180131

Spin torque nano-oscillators (STNO) represent a unique class of nano-scale microwave signal generators and offer a combination of intriguing properties, such as nano sized footprint, ultrafast modulation rates, and highly tunable microwave frequencies from 100 MHz to close to 100 GHz. However, their low output power and relatively high threshold current still limit their applicability and must be improved. In this study, we investigate the influence of the bottom Cu electrode thickness (t(Cu)) in nano-contact STNOs based on Co/Cu/NiFe GMR stacks and with nano-contact diameters ranging from 60 to 500 nm. Increasing t(Cu) from 10 to 70 nm results in a 40% reduction of the threshold current, an order of magnitude higher microwave output power, and close to two orders of magnitude better power conversion efficiency. Numerical simulations of the current distribution suggest that these dramatic improvements originate from a strongly reduced lateral current spread in the magneto-dynamically active region., QC 20170601

Static and dynamic magnetic solitons play a critical role in applied nanomagnetism. Magnetic droplets, a type of non-topological dissipative soliton, can be nucleated and sustained in nanocontact spin-torque oscillators with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy free layers. Here, we perform a detailed experimental determination of the full droplet nucleation boundary in the current-field plane for a wide range of nanocontact sizes and demonstrate its excellent agreement with an analytical expression originating from a stability analysis. Our results reconcile recent contradicting reports of the field dependence of the droplet nucleation. Furthermore, our analytical model both highlights the relation between the fixed layer material and the droplet nucleation current magnitude, and provides an accurate method to experimentally determine the spin transfer torque asymmetry of each device., QC 20160513

We demonstrate how magnetic droplet soliton pairs, nucleated by two separated nanocontact (NC) spin torque oscillators, can merge into a single droplet soliton. A detailed description of the magnetization dynamics of this merger process is obtained by micromagnetic simulations: A droplet pair with a steady-state in-phase spin precession is generated through the spin-transfer torque effect underneath two separate NCs, followed by a gradual expansion of the droplets' volume and the out-phase of magnetization on the inner side of the two droplets, resulting in the droplets merging into a larger droplet. This merger occurs only when the NC separation is smaller than a critical value. A transient breathing mode is observed before the merged droplet stabilizes into a steady precession state. The precession frequency of the merged droplet is lower than that of the droplet pair, consistent with its larger size. Merged droplets can again break up into droplet pairs at high enough magnetic field with a strong hysteretic response., QC 20160421