No Arabic abstract
Current-induced spin torques in layered magnetic heterostructures have many commonalities across broad classes of magnetic materials. These include not only collinear ferromagnets, ferrimagnets, and antiferromagnets, but also more complex noncollinear spin systems. We develop a general Lagrangian-Rayleigh approach for studying the role of dissipative torques, which can pump energy into long-wavelength magnetic dynamics, causing dynamic instabilities. While the Rayleigh structure of such torques is similar for different magnetic materials, their consequences depend sensitively on the nature of the order and, in particular, on whether there is a net magnetic moment. The latter endows the system with a unipolar switching capability, while magnetically compensated materials tend to evolve towards limit cycles, at large torques, with chirality dependent on the torque sign. Apart from the ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic cases, we discuss ferrimagnets, which display an intricate competition between switching and limit cycles. As a simple case for compensated noncollinear order, we consider isotropic spin glasses, as well as a scenario of their coexistence with a collinear magnetic order.
We study the dynamics of skyrmions under spin-transfer torque in Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya materials with easy-axis anisotropy. In particular, we study the motion of a topological skyrmion with skyrmion number $Q=1$ and a non-topological skyrmionium with $Q=0$ using their linear momentum, virial relations, and numerical simulations. The non-topological $Q=0$ skyrmionium is accelerated in the direction of the current flow and it either reaches a steady state with constant velocity, or it is elongated to infinity. The steady-state velocity is given by a balance between current and dissipation and has an upper limit. In contrast, the topological $Q=1$ skyrmion converges to a steady-state with constant velocity at an angle to the current flow. When the spin current stops the $Q=1$ skyrmion is spontaneously pinned whereas the $Q=0$ skyrmionium continues propagation. Exact solutions for the propagating skyrmionium are identified as solutions of equations given numerically in a previous work. Further exact results for propagating skyrmions are given in the case of the pure exchange model. The traveling solutions provide arguments that a spin-polarized current will cause rigid motion of a skyrmion or a skyrmionium.
Here we study the effect of an additional interfacial spin-transfer torque, as well as the well-established spin-orbit torque, on skyrmion collections - group of skyrmions dense enough that they are not isolated from one another - in ultrathin heavy metal / ferromagnetic multilayers, by comparing modelling with experimental results. Using a skyrmion collection with a range of skyrmion diameters, we study the dependence of the skyrmion Hall angle on diameter and velocity. As for an isolated skyrmion, a nearly-independent skyrmion Hall angle on skyrmion diameter for all skyrmion collection densities is reproduced by the model which includes interfacial spin-transfer torque. On the other hand, the skyrmion Hall angle change with velocity is significantly more abrupt compared to the isolated skyrmion case. This suggests that the effect of disorder on the collective skyrmion behavior is reduced compared to the isolated case. Our results further show the significance of the interfacial spin-transfer torque in ultrathin magnetic multilayers. Due to the good agreement with experiments, we conclude that the interfacial spin-transfer torque should be included in micromagnetic simulations for reproduction of experimental results.
We have proposed a method to synchronize multiple spin-transfer torque oscillators based on spin pumping, inverse spin Hall, and spin Hall effects. The proposed oscillator system consists of a series of nano-magnets in junction with a normal metal with high spin-orbit coupling, and an accumulative feedback loop. We conduct simulations to demonstrate the effect of modulated charge currents in the normal metal due to spin pumping from each nano-magnet. We show that the interplay between the spin Hall effect and inverse spin Hall effect results in synchronization of the nano-magnets.
We theoretically examine the spin-transfer torque in the presence of spin-orbit interaction (SOI) at impurities in a ferromagnetic metal on the basis of linear response theory. We obtained, in addition to the usual spin-transfer torque, a new contributioin $sim {bm j}_{rm SH}^{phantom{dagger}} cdot abla {bm n}$ in the first order in SOI, where ${bm j}_{rm SH}^{phantom{dagger}}$ is the spin Hall current driven by an external electric field. This is a reaction to inverse spin Hall effect driven by spin motive force in a ferromagnet.
We demonstrate that the spin Hall effect in a thin film with strong spin-orbit scattering can excite magnetic precession in an adjacent ferromagnetic film. The flow of alternating current through a Pt/NiFe bilayer generates an oscillating transverse spin current in the Pt, and the resultant transfer of spin angular momentum to the NiFe induces ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) dynamics. The Oersted field from the current also generates an FMR signal but with a different symmetry. The ratio of these two signals allows a quantitative determination of the spin current and the spin Hall angle.