Ferromagnetic dynamics detected via one- and two-magnon NV relaxometry

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel NV relaxometry method based on two-magnon processes, enabling detection of ferromagnetic resonance at higher frequencies than previously possible, revealing complex magnon dynamics and instabilities.

Contribution

The study demonstrates a two-magnon Raman-like relaxometry technique that extends NV-based magnetic sensing to higher frequencies, uncovering new magnon relaxation phenomena.

Findings

Detection of FMR at frequencies higher than NV resonance

Observation of a field-shifted NV response due to Suhl instability

Identification of two-magnon relaxation processes at high frequencies

Abstract

The NV center in diamond has proven to be a powerful tool for locally characterizing the magnetic response of microwave excited ferromagnets. To date, this has been limited by the requirement that the FMR excitation frequency be less than the NV spin resonance frequency. Here we report NV relaxometry based on a two-magnon Raman-like process, enabling detection of FMR at frequencies higher than the NV frequency. For high microwave drive powers, we observe an unexpected field-shift of the NV response relative to a simultaneous microwave absorption signal from a low damping ferrite film. We show that the field-shifted NV response is due to a second order Suhl instability. The instability creates a large population of non-equilibrium magnons which relax the NV spin, even when the uniform mode FMR frequency exceeds that of the NV spin resonance frequency, hence ruling out the possibility that the NV is relaxed by a single NV-resonant magnon. We argue that at high frequencies the NV response is due to a two-magnon relaxation process in which the difference frequency of two magnons matches the NV frequency, and at low frequencies we evaluate the lineshape of the one-magnon NV relaxometry response using spinwave instability theory.