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Phase-locking of magnetic vortices mediated by antivortices

Nature Nanotechnology volume 4, pages 528–532 (2009)Cite this article

Abstract

Synchronized spin-valve oscillators may lead to nanosized microwave generators that do not require discrete elements such as capacitors or inductors. Uniformly magnetized oscillators have been synchronized, but offer low power. Gyrating magnetic vortices offer greater power, but vortex synchronization has yet to be demonstrated. Here we find that vortices can interact with each other through the mediation of antivortices, leading to synchronization when they are closely spaced. The synchronization does not require a magnetic field, making the system attractive for electronic device integration. Also, because each vortex is a topological soliton, this work presents a model experimental system for the study of interacting solitons.

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Figure 1: The studied system.
Figure 2: Power outputs of arrays of 2 × 2 nanocontacts with different intercontact distances.
Figure 3: Vortex–antivortex lattice ground state in zero field.
Figure 4: In-plane field excitation of system eigenmodes.

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Acknowledgements

A.R. is supported by the the EU network SPINSWITCH (MRTN-CT-2006-035327). The authors acknowledge financial support from the ANR agency (NANOMASER PNANO-06-067-04 and ALICANTE PNANO-06-064-03) and EU grant MASTER No. NMP-FP7-212257.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Unité Mixte de Physique CNRS/Thales and Université Paris Sud 11, Route départementale 128, Palaiseau, 91767, France

    A. Ruotolo, V. Cros, B. Georges, A. Dussaux, J. Grollier, C. Deranlot, R. Guillemet, K. Bouzehouane, S. Fusil & A. Fert

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  1. A. Ruotolo
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Correspondence to A. Ruotolo.

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Ruotolo, A., Cros, V., Georges, B. et al. Phase-locking of magnetic vortices mediated by antivortices. Nature Nanotech 4, 528–532 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/nnano.2009.143

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