TY - JOUR
T1 - Phase Locking of a Pair of Ferromagnetic Nano-oscillators on a Topological Insulator
AU - Wang, Cheng Zhen
AU - Xu, Hong Ya
AU - Rizzo, Nicholas D.
AU - Kiehl, Richard
AU - Lai, Ying-Cheng
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 American Physical Society.
PY - 2018/12/3
Y1 - 2018/12/3
N2 - We investigate the magnetization dynamics of a pair of ferromagnetic insulators (FMIs) deposited on the surface of a topological insulator (TI). Because of the nonlinear nature of the underlying physics and intrinsic dynamics, the FMIs can exhibit oscillatory behaviors even under a constant applied voltage. The motion of the surface electrons of the TI, which obeys relativistic quantum mechanics, provides a mechanism of direct coupling between the FMIs. In particular, the spin-polarized current of the TI surface electrons can affect the magnetization of the two FMIs, which in turn modulates the electron transport, giving rise to a hybrid relativistic quantum and classical nonlinear dynamical system. We find robust phase and antiphase locking between the magnetization dynamics. As driving the surface electrons of a TI requires only extremely low power, our finding suggests that nanoscale FMIs coupled by a spin-polarized current on the surface of a TI have the potential to serve as the fundamental building blocks of unconventional, low-power computing paradigms.
AB - We investigate the magnetization dynamics of a pair of ferromagnetic insulators (FMIs) deposited on the surface of a topological insulator (TI). Because of the nonlinear nature of the underlying physics and intrinsic dynamics, the FMIs can exhibit oscillatory behaviors even under a constant applied voltage. The motion of the surface electrons of the TI, which obeys relativistic quantum mechanics, provides a mechanism of direct coupling between the FMIs. In particular, the spin-polarized current of the TI surface electrons can affect the magnetization of the two FMIs, which in turn modulates the electron transport, giving rise to a hybrid relativistic quantum and classical nonlinear dynamical system. We find robust phase and antiphase locking between the magnetization dynamics. As driving the surface electrons of a TI requires only extremely low power, our finding suggests that nanoscale FMIs coupled by a spin-polarized current on the surface of a TI have the potential to serve as the fundamental building blocks of unconventional, low-power computing paradigms.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85057713473&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85057713473&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1103/PhysRevApplied.10.064003
DO - 10.1103/PhysRevApplied.10.064003
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85057713473
SN - 2331-7019
VL - 10
JO - Physical Review Applied
JF - Physical Review Applied
IS - 6
M1 - 064003
ER -