Towards a table-top microscope for nanoscale magnetic imaging using picosecond thermal gradients.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 26419515.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/ncomms9460 and PMC identifier 4598727.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Research advancement in magnetoelectronics is challenged by the lack of a table-top magnetic measurement technique with the simultaneous temporal and spatial resolution necessary for characterizing magnetization dynamics in devices of interest, such as magnetic memory and spin torque oscillators. Although magneto-optical microscopy provides superb temporal resolution, its spatial resolution is fundamentally limited by optical diffraction. To address this challenge, we study heat rather than light as a vehicle to stroboscopically transduce a local magnetic moment into an electrical signal while retaining picosecond temporal resolution. Using this concept, we demonstrate spatiotemporal magnetic microscopy using the time-resolved anomalous Nernst effect (TRANE). Experimentally and with supporting numerical calculations, we find that TRANE microscopy has temporal resolution below 30 ps and spatial resolution determined by the area of thermal excitation. Based on these findings, we suggest a route to exceed the limits imposed by far-field optical diffraction.