Magnetism

We seek to explore and understand how energy and length scales, along with their hierarchical structure, influence magnetic order and dynamics. To achieve this, we employ a wide range of synthesis and experimental characterization techniques that allow precise control over the chemistry and atomic structure of materials. These tools enable us to study and design material interactions, such as exchange interactions and anisotropies, which directly influence magnetic ordering.

Additionally, we define the spatial dimensions over which these interactions occur by using thin film deposition, multilayer fabrication, lithography, ion beam techniques, and additive manufacturing methods. Magnetic properties vary across different length scales – atomic, nanoscale, microscale, and beyond. For example, nanostructured materials often exhibit distinct magnetic behaviours compared to bulk materials due to finite-size effects, surface-to-volume ratios, or spatial confinement.

The left side titled AFM shows a regular black and white patterns of elongated pill-shaped structures. According to the scale bar, the long side of one structure has a length of about 500 nanometres. The right side is titled Artificial Spins and shows four rows of yellow arrows pointing down in the first column, up in the second column etc. in the centre the two sides overlap with one arrow fitting exactly into a structure.

The nanoscale pattern influences the magnetic order leading to spins pointing either up or down.

In magnetic systems, hierarchy refers to the multi-scale nature of interactions, where energy and length scales either interact or compete. At smaller scales, such as the atomic level, quantum mechanical effects dominate, whereas at larger scales, macroscopic magnetic domains or long-range order become more significant.

All these factors collectively influence the magnetic ordering in materials (for example, ferromagnetic, antiferromagnetic, etc.), as the type of order is shaped by both energy interactions and spatial considerations.

Magnetic dynamics, on the other hand, refer to the evolution of the magnetic system over time. This includes how spins respond to external stimuli such as magnetic fields or temperature changes, and the timescales over which the system reconfigures its magnetic ordering.

These core concepts have wide-ranging applications across various research and technological areas, including:

  • Spintronics: Controlling magnetic order and dynamics across different energy and length scales is critical for developing efficient memory and logic devices.
  • Magnetic nano- and metamaterials: Designing materials with unique behaviours at the meso- and nanoscale, influenced by energy and length-scale considerations.
  • Magnetic phase transitions: Understanding how energy and spatial hierarchies drive magnetic phase transitions.
  • Magnetophotonics: Exploring how magnetic materials can manipulate light and, conversely, how light can affect magnetic properties and dynamics.

Selected publications

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