Spin-current driven spontaneous coupling of ferromagnets

TL;DR

This paper presents a theoretical framework for spin-current driven synchronization of ferromagnets, revealing a purely spin-based coupling mechanism that leads to in-phase or antiphase oscillations depending on current strength.

Contribution

It introduces a novel spin-based coupling mechanism for ferromagnets in spin Hall geometry, derived from diffusive spin transport theory, without relying on electric or magnetic interactions.

Findings

Coupling mechanism causes antiphase synchronization.

Phase difference depends on the current magnitude.

Theoretical formulas match numerical and analytical solutions.

Abstract

A theoretical framework is proposed for the spin-current driven synchronized self-oscillations in ferromagnets in the spin Hall geometry. The spin current generated by the spin Hall effect in a bottom nonmagnetic heavy metal excites a self-oscillation of the magnetization in an attached ferromagnet through spin-transfer effect. The spin current simultaneously creates spin accumulation inside the ferromagnet. Therefore, when the top surfaces of two ferromagnets are connected by a nonmagnetic material having a long spin diffusion length, another spin current flows according to the gradient of the spin accumulations between the ferromagnets. This additional spin current excites an additional spin torque leading to a coupled motion of the magnetizations. This coupling mechanism comes purely from spin degree of freedom in the system without using electric and/or magnetic interactions. The additional spin torque acts as a repulsive force between the magnetizations, and prefers an antiphase synchronization between the oscillators. The phase difference in a synchronized state is determined by the competition between this additional spin torque and spin pumping. Eventually, either an in-phase or antiphase synchronization is spontaneously excited in the individual ferromagnets, depending on the current magnitude. These conclusions are obtained by deriving the theoretical formula of the additional spin torque from the diffusive spin transport theory and solving the equation of motion of the magnetizations both numerically and analytically.