Imaging antiferromagnets with a single spin magnetometer

A consortium of research groups from the Universtié de Montpellier, Université Paris-Saclay, Universität Basel, CEA Saclay, and the Synchrotron SOLEIL has demonstrated the first real-space imaging of antiferromagnetic spin spirals in the multiferroic material bismuth iron oxide. The technique involves quantum sensing with a single spin magnetometer. A nice overview of this work can be found on the Oxitronics Group (UMPhy CNRS-Thales) website and on phys.org.

Reference: I. Gross et al., Nature 549, 252–256 (2017).

Spin Wave Power Flow and Caustics in Ultrathin Ferromagnets with the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya Interaction

Reference: J.-V. Kim, R. L. Stamps, and R. E. Camley, Phys. Rev. Lett. 117, 197204 (2016).

We examined how the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI) influences the flow of spin waves in ultrathin films using analytical theory and micromagnetics simulations. With a point source field excitation, we find a number of different propagation regimes, such as caustics and interference patterns that are asymmetric as a result of the DMI. This work has just appeared in Physical Review Letters.