Probing wavenumbers of current-induced excitations in point-contact experiments

obing wavenumbers of current-induced excitations in point-contact experiments Short Report (4357) Total Article Views Authors: Z Wei, M Tsoi Published Date June 2010 Volume 2010:3 Pages 17 - 21 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.2147/NSA.S8845 Z Wei, M Tsoi Department of Physics, Center for Nano and Molecular Science and Technology, and Texas Materials Institute, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA Abstract: We demonstrate how a mechanical point-contact technique can provide information on the wavenumber of spin waves excited by high-density electrical current in magnetic multilayers. By varying the size of point-contacts, we have been able to control the size of the excitation volume and therefore the wavelength of current-induced spin waves. This leads to a technique with in situ sensitivity to wavenumbers of current-induced excitations. Our detailed size-dependent measurements support the prediction that the excited wavelength is determined by the contact size.