Nanoscale studies of magnons with scanning transmission electron microscopy

Project Description

In "The 2021 Magnonics Roadmap" review article (Barman et al., Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter, 2021), direct imaging of magnons is cited as one of the key challenges. The authors of the review article mention magnetometry using nitrogen-vacancy centers as a potential approach to address this challenge. In this project, we propose an alternative solution using scanning transmission electron microscopy.

The aim of the project is to develop a new experimental method capable of characterizing magnons with nanometer-scale spatial resolution.

We will use atomistic spin dynamics, density functional theory, and the "Pauli multislice" method to simulate the scattering of electrons with magnons. Through simulations, we will optimize the experimental parameters to achieve the best predicted signal-to-noise ratio. In collaboration with the SuperSTEM laboratory in the United Kingdom, we will carry out proof-of-concept experiments to detect magnons. For this purpose, we will use a monochromated Nion HERMES scanning transmission electron microscope equipped with a direct electron detector.