Electrical Manipulation of Nanomagnets

TL;DR

This paper presents a method to control the magnetic coupling between nanomagnets using an AC electric field, enabling switching between ferro- and antiferromagnetic states via a mediating particle.

Contribution

It introduces a novel electric field technique to manipulate nanomagnet coupling through a mediating particle, which was not previously demonstrated.

Findings

Electric field suppresses tunnel barriers between nanomagnets.

Magnetization can be pumped through the mediating particle.

Switching between ferro- and antiferromagnetic coupling is achieved.

Abstract

We demonstrate a possibility to manipulate the magnetic coupling between two nanomagnets with a help of ac electric field. In the scheme suggested the magnetic coupling in question is mediated by a magnetic particle contacting with both of the nanomagnets through the tunnel barriers. The electric field providing a successive suppression of the barriers leads to pumping of magnetization through the mediating particle. Time dependent dynamics of the particle magnetization allows to to switch between ferro- and antiferromagnetic couplings.