A magnon scattering platform

Local Noise Spectroscopy of Wigner Crystals in Two-Dimensional Materials

We propose local electromagnetic noise spectroscopy as a versatile and noninvasive tool to study Wigner crystal phases of strongly interacting two-dimensional electronic systems. In-plane imaging of the local noise is predicted to enable single-site resolution of the electron crystal when the sample-probe distance is less than the interelectron separation. At larger sample-probe distances, noise spectroscopy encodes information about the low-energy Wigner crystal phonons, including the dispersion of the transverse shear mode, the pinning resonance due to disorder, and optical modes emerging, for instance, in bilayer crystals. We discuss the potential utility of local noise probes in analyzing the rich set of phenomena expected to occur in the vicinity of the melting transition.

Magnon-mediated qubit coupling determined via dissipation measurements

Controlled interaction between localized and delocalized solid-state spin systems offers a compelling platform for on-chip quantum information processing with quantum spintronics. Hybrid quantum systems (HQSs) of localized nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond and delocalized magnon modes in ferrimagnets-systems with naturally commensurate energies-have recently attracted significant attention, especially for interconnecting isolated spin qubits at length-scales far beyond those set by the dipolar coupling. However, despite extensive theoretical efforts, there is a lack of experimental characterization of the magnon-mediated interaction between NV centers, which is necessary to develop such hybrid quantum architectures. Here, we experimentally determine the magnon-mediated NV-NV coupling from the magnon-induced self-energy of NV centers. Our results are quantitatively consistent with a model in which the NV center is coupled to magnons by dipolar interactions. This work provides a versatile tool to characterize HQSs in the absence of strong coupling, informing future efforts to engineer entangled solid-state systems.

Local Control of a Single Nitrogen-Vacancy Center by Nanoscale Engineered Magnetic Domain Wall Motion

Effective control and readout of qubits form the technical foundation of next-generation, transformative quantum information sciences and technologies. The nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center, an intrinsic three-level spin system, is naturally relevant in this context due to its excellent quantum coherence, high fidelity of operations, and remarkable functionality over a broad range of experimental conditions. It is an active contender for the development and implementation of cutting-edge quantum technologies. Here, we report magnetic domain wall motion driven local control and measurements of the NV spin properties. By engineering the local magnetic field environment of an NV center via nanoscale reconfigurable domain wall motion, we show that NV photoluminescence, spin level energies, and coherence time can be reliably controlled and correlated to the magneto-transport response of a magnetic device. Our results highlight the electrically tunable dipole interaction between NV centers and nanoscale magnetic structures, providing an attractive platform to realize interactive information transfer between spin qubits and nonvolatile magnetic memory in hybrid quantum spintronic systems.

Observation and control of hybrid spin-wave-Meissner-current transport modes

Superconductors are materials with zero electrical resistivity and the ability to expel magnetic fields, which is known as the Meissner effect. Their dissipationless diamagnetic response is central to magnetic levitation and circuits such as quantum interference devices. In this work, we used superconducting diamagnetism to shape the magnetic environment governing the transport of spin waves-collective spin excitations in magnets that are promising on-chip signal carriers-in a thin-film magnet. Using diamond-based magnetic imaging, we observed hybridized spin-wave-Meissner-current transport modes with strongly altered, temperature-tunable wavelengths and then demonstrated local control of spin-wave refraction using a focused laser. Our results demonstrate the versatility of superconductor-manipulated spin-wave transport and have potential applications in spin-wave gratings, filters, crystals, and cavities.

Quantum Noise Spectroscopy of Dynamical Critical Phenomena

The transition between distinct phases of matter is characterized by the nature of fluctuations near the critical point. We demonstrate that noise spectroscopy can not only diagnose the presence of a phase transition, but can also determine fundamental properties of its criticality. In particular, by analyzing a scaling collapse of the decoherence profile, one can directly extract the critical exponents of the transition and identify its universality class. Our approach naturally captures the presence of conservation laws and distinguishes between classical and quantum phase transitions. In the context of quantum magnetism, our proposal complements existing techniques and provides a novel toolset optimized for interrogating two-dimensional magnetic materials.

Surface Cooper-Pair Spin Waves in Triplet Superconductors

We study the electrodynamics of spin triplet superconductors including dipolar interactions, which give rise to an interplay between the collective spin dynamics of the condensate and orbital Meissner screening currents. Within this theory, we identify a class of spin waves that originate from the coupled dynamics of the spin-symmetry breaking triplet order parameter and the electromagnetic field. In particular, we study magnetostatic spin wave modes that are localized to the sample surface. We show that these surface modes can be excited and detected using experimental techniques such as microwave spin wave resonance spectroscopy or nitrogen-vacancy magnetometry, and propose that the detection of these modes offers a means for the identification of spin triplet superconductivity.

Filtering and Imaging of Frequency-Degenerate Spin Waves Using Nanopositioning of a Single-Spin Sensor

Nitrogen-vacancy (NV) magnetometry is a new technique for imaging spin waves in magnetic materials. It detects spin waves by their microwave magnetic stray fields, which decay evanescently on the scale of the spin-wavelength. Here, we use nanoscale control of a single-NV sensor as a wavelength filter to characterize frequency-degenerate spin waves excited by a microstrip in a thin-film magnetic insulator. With the NV probe in contact with the magnet, we observe an incoherent mixture of thermal and microwave-driven spin waves. By retracting the tip, we progressively suppress the small-wavelength modes until a single coherent mode emerges from the mixture. In-contact scans at low drive power surprisingly show occupation of the entire isofrequency contour of the two-dimensional spin-wave dispersion despite our one-dimensional microstrip geometry. Our distance-tunable filter sheds light on the spin-wave band occupation under microwave excitation and opens opportunities for imaging magnon condensates and other coherent spin-wave modes.

The development of microfabricated solenoids with magnetic cores for micromagnetic neural stimulation

Electrical stimulation via invasive microelectrodes is commonly used to treat a wide range of neurological and psychiatric conditions. Despite its remarkable success, the stimulation performance is not sustainable since the electrodes become encapsulated by gliosis due to foreign body reactions. Magnetic stimulation overcomes these limitations by eliminating the need for a metal-electrode contact. Here, we demonstrate a novel microfabricated solenoid inductor (80 µm × 40 µm) with a magnetic core that can activate neuronal tissue. The characterization and proof-of-concept of the device raise the possibility that micromagnetic stimulation solenoids that are small enough to be implanted within the brain may prove to be an effective alternative to existing electrode-based stimulation devices for chronic neural interfacing applications.