Resonant magneto-acoustic switching: influence of Rayleigh wave frequency and wavevector

Abstract

We show on in-plane magnetized thin films that magnetization can be switched efficiently by 180 degrees using large amplitude Rayleigh waves travelling along the hard or easy magnetic axis. Large characteristic filament-like domains are formed in the latter case. Micromagnetic simulations clearly confirm that this multi-domain configuration is compatible with a resonant precessional mechanism. The reversed domains are in both geometries several hundreds of μm^2, much larger than has been shown using spin transfer torque- or field-driven precessional switching. We show that surface acoustic waves can travel at least 1mm before addressing a given area, and can interfere to create magnetic stripes that can be positionned with a sub-micronic precision.

Movies can be found at the following link: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/frdels1bibcgw80/AADWgqp8W8T7UHKRY0Yrazoya?dl=0. This article has been submitted to the special "Magneto-elastic effects" issue of the Journal of Physics of Condensed Matter