Spin-Orbit Torque, Magnonics, and Magneto-Optical Effects in Magnetic Thin Films
This community investigates the manipulation of electron spin and orbital angular momentum in magnetic materials, focusing on thin films, garnets, and two-dimensional van der Waals heterostructures. The work addresses fundamental questions in spintronics and magnonics, including how magnetic states are switched, how spin currents are generated, and how light interacts with magnetic order.
The research centers on yttrium iron garnet (YIG) and other rare-earth garnet films, where magneto-optical Kerr effect measurements and ferromagnetic resonance are standard tools for characterizing magnetic anisotropy and spin-wave dynamics. A significant portion of the work explores spin-orbit torque mechanisms, including the spin Hall effect and orbital torque, to achieve magnetization switching in antiferromagnets and ferromagnets. Recent investigations extend to chiral magnets, altermagnets, and van der Waals materials like Fe3GeTe2, examining phenomena such as Hopfion rings, magnon squeezing, and non-reciprocal magneto-optical absorption. The community also studies magnetic tunnel junctions and the interplay between structural phase transitions and magnetic properties in these systems.
The largest share of the community's output is found in yttrium research, accounting for 8.0% of all yttrium research, with 2,210 papers in this group. Iron research follows with 5.7% of its total literature, comprising 1,819 papers.
The community comprises 7,081 papers, published primarily in the Journal of Applied Physics, Applied Physics Letters, and Physical Review B.
Recent work continues to focus on orbital torque mechanisms in two-dimensional materials, magnon squeezing in the quantum regime, and the development of low-temperature sintering techniques for yttrium iron garnet ceramics to enhance microwave performance.
Papers behind this description
- Magneto-Optical Detection of the Orbital Hall Effect in Chromium — Physical Review Letters, 2023 — doi:10.1103/physrevlett.131.156702
- Magneto-optics in a van der Waals magnet tuned by self-hybridized polaritons — Nature, 2023 — doi:10.1038/s41586-023-06275-2
- Recent progress in spin-orbit torque magnetic random-access memory — npj Spintronics, 2024 — doi:10.1038/s44306-024-00044-1
- Hopfion rings in a cubic chiral magnet — Nature, 2023 — doi:10.1038/s41586-023-06658-5
- Broadband mid-infrared non-reciprocal absorption using magnetized gradient epsilon-near-zero thin films — Nature Materials, 2023 — doi:10.1038/s41563-023-01635-9
- Octupole-driven magnetoresistance in an antiferromagnetic tunnel junction — Nature, 2023 — doi:10.1038/s41586-022-05463-w
- Quantum Control of a Single Magnon in a Macroscopic Spin System — Physical Review Letters, 2023 — doi:10.1103/physrevlett.130.193603
- The Bulk van der Waals Layered Magnet CrSBr is a Quasi-1D Material — ACS Nano, 2023 — doi:10.1021/acsnano.2c07316
- Reversible strain-induced magnetic phase transition in a van der Waals magnet — Nature Nanotechnology, 2022 — doi:10.1038/s41565-021-01052-6
- Direct visualization of magnetic domains and moiré magnetism in twisted 2D magnets — Science, 2021 — doi:10.1126/science.abj7478
- Room temperature energy-efficient spin-orbit torque switching in two-dimensional van der Waals Fe3GeTe2 induced by topological insulators — Nature Communications, 2023 — doi:10.1038/s41467-023-40714-y
- Deterministic switching of a perpendicularly polarized magnet using unconventional spin–orbit torques in WTe2 — Nature Materials, 2022 — doi:10.1038/s41563-022-01275-5
- Absence of orbital current torque in Ta/ferromagnet bilayers — Nature Communications, 2025 — doi:10.1038/s41467-025-63809-0
- Temperature-activated switchable nonreciprocal thermal emitter via magneto-optical quasi-BIC coupling — Applied Physics Letters, 2025 — doi:10.1063/5.0277475
- Bi–Cu–Sn Co-doped yttrium iron garnet for low-temperature sintering and enhanced microwave performance — Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials, 2026 — doi:10.1016/j.jmmm.2026.174015
- Tunable unconventional spin orbit torque magnetization dynamics in van der Waals heterostructures — Nature Communications, 2025 — doi:10.1038/s41467-025-64109-3
- Simultaneous enhancement of densification and magnetic properties in Bi–Cu–Sn Co-doped yttrium iron garnet ceramics via hot-pressing sintering — Materials Letters, 2026 — doi:10.1016/j.matlet.2026.140263
- Symmetry-Breaking Magneto-Optical Effects in Altermagnets — Nano Letters, 2025 — doi:10.1021/acs.nanolett.5c03647