Control of Spin-Wave Damping in YIG Using Spin Currents from Topological Insulators

Abstract

Yttrium iron garnet (YIG) is a material with unique properties that make it very attractive for use in microwave applications, such as frequency-selective limiters and logic processing. However, the decay of a spin wave's amplitude as it propagates in the material curbs the use of YIG in practical applications. To surmount this limitation, in this study the surface spin currents of a topological insulator are used to enhance the spin-wave amplitude in adjacent YIG. In addition, interesting properties of magnons are observed and investigated, to advance spintronics.