Finite-element dynamic-matrix approach for propagating spin waves: Extension to mono- and multilayers of arbitrary spacing and thickness

TL;DR

This paper extends a finite-element dynamic-matrix method to model spin waves in infinite mono- and multilayer systems with arbitrary spacing and thickness, incorporating interlayer exchange and efficient dipolar field calculations.

Contribution

The paper introduces a novel FEM approach for multilayer spin-wave systems, including interlayer exchange and a dipolar field calculation method that is independent of spacer thickness.

Findings

Validated the method against theoretical predictions.

Achieved computational efficiency by avoiding discretization of non-magnetic spacers.

Demonstrated versatility in modeling layered magnetic systems.

Abstract

In our recent work [AIP Adv. 11, 095006], we presented an efficient numerical method to compute dispersions and spatial mode profiles of spin waves propagating in waveguides with translationally invariant equilibrium magnetization. Using a finite-element method (FEM) allowed to model two-dimensional waveguide cross sections of arbitrary shape but only finite size. Here, we extend our FEM propagating-wave dynamic-matrix approach from finite waveguides to the important practical cases of infinitely-extended mono- and multilayers of arbitrary spacing and thickness. To obtain the mode profiles and frequencies, the linearized equation of motion of magnetization is solved as an eigenvalue problem only on a one-dimensional line-trace mesh, defined along the normal direction of the layers. Being an important contribution in multilayer systems, we introduce interlayer-exchange interaction into our FEM approach. With the calculation of dynamic dipolar fields being the main focus of this paper, we also extend the previously presented plane-wave Fredkin-Koehler method to calculate the dipolar potential of spin waves in infinite layers. The major benefit of this method is that it avoids the discretization of any non-magnetic material, such as non-magnetic spacers in multilayers. Therefore, the computational effort becomes completely independent on the spacer thicknesses. Furthermore, it keeps the resulting discretized eigenvalue problem sparse, which therefore, inherits a comparably low arithmetic complexity. As a validation of our method (implemented into the open-source finite-element micromagnetic package TetraX), we present results for various systems and compare them with theoretical predictions as well as with established finite-difference numerical methods. We believe this method offers an efficient and versatile tool to calculate spin-wave dispersions in layered magnetic systems.