MRI: Development of a system for low temperature optical measurement of 3D magnon, plasmon and spin torque transfer dynamics.

在过去的15年里，科学家和工程师们已经意识到，集成逻辑和信息存储功能可以显著提高计算设备的能源效率，并实现新的、更强大的计算范式。制造这种装置的有希望的材料包括那些电流与电子自旋强烈相互作用的材料。电子的自旋可以被认为是附着在电子上的一个小条形磁铁，磁铁的北极可以向上、向下或向任何其他方向移动。为了开发集成电荷和自旋功能的新计算平台，有必要研究这些自旋如何响应外部刺激（如电流或光脉冲）改变方向。这些变化发生得非常快，大约是十亿分之一秒。该奖项支持一种仪器的开发，该仪器通过测量与外部刺激（如电流或光束）相关的极短光脉冲在精确控制的时间内到达样品的自旋方向来研究自旋重定向。测量将在非常低的温度下进行，以分离和了解基本的物理过程。这些知识将为未来计算设备中应用的工程材料提供科学基础。这项工作正在与一门关于正在调查的材料的新研究生课程协调，并支持培训一名博士后研究员和两名本科生研究人员。拓扑绝缘体和磁异质结构中的自旋基现象从基础科学和器件发展的角度都引起了人们的广泛关注。然而，许多这些现象的潜在物理起源仍然不清楚。此外，这些对设备应用至关重要的现象的动力学仍然知之甚少。该奖项支持一种仪器的开发，该仪器将能够在低温和三维磁场下进行集体磁和电荷激发以及自旋转移动力学的超快光学测量。新仪器将使科学家能够回答有关量子材料、磁异质结构和其他“量子工程”异质材料的基本科学问题，并确定定制这些异质材料的路线，用于自旋电子、光电和量子器件应用。新仪器将实现首次超快测量自旋传递扭矩的动态。三维分辨率和集成的光学、磁和电控制将使科学家能够分离、理解并最终控制相互竞争的过程。该仪器还将在拓扑绝缘体和非均质材料中提供前所未有的磁振子和等离子体动力学测量，旨在控制具有独特量子力学特性的界面现象的出现。该仪器的成功开发将使基础科学、应用科学和设备工程领域之间产生新的互动。它将使在器件技术中广泛采用“外来”材料所需的突破成为可能。该仪器使研究的概念方面将被整合到新的研究生和本科课程以及科学教育推广计划中。将积极招募代表性不足的群体成员担任该奖项支持的博士后和本科生研究员职位。

Over the past 15 years scientists and engineers have realized that integrating logic and information storage functions could dramatically improve the energy efficiency of computing devices and enable new and more powerful computing paradigms. Promising materials for creating such a device include those materials in which electrical current strongly interacts with the spin of electrons. The spin of an electron can be thought of as a tiny bar magnet attached to the electron in which the north pole of the magnet can be oriented up, down, or in any other direction. To develop new computing platforms that integrate charge and spin functionality, it is necessary to study how these spins change direction in response to external stimuli such as electrical current or pulses of light. These changes occur very quickly in about one billionth of one second. This award supports the development of an instrument to study spin reorientation by measuring the spin direction with extremely short pulses of light that arrive at the sample at precisely controlled times relative to external stimuli such as an electrical current or a beam of light. Measurements will be carried out at very low temperatures to isolate and understand the fundamental physical processes. This knowledge will provide the scientific foundation for engineering appropriate materials for application in future computing devices. The work is being coordinated with a new graduate-level course on the materials under investigation and support the training of one postdoctoral researcher and two undergraduate researchers.Spin-based phenomena in topological insulators and magnetic heterostructures have attracted a great deal of attention from the perspective of both fundamental science and device development. However, the underlying physical origin of many of these phenomena remains vague. Moreover, the dynamics of these phenomena, which are critical for device applications, remain poorly understood. This award supports the development of an instrument that will enable ultrafast optical measurements of collective magnetic and charge excitations and spin transfer dynamics at low temperatures and in three-dimensional magnetic fields. The new instrument will allow scientists to answer fundamental scientific questions about quantum materials, magnetic heterostructures, and other "quantum engineered" heterogeneous materials and identify routes to tailor these heterogeneous materials for spintronic, optoelectronic, and quantum device applications. The new instrument will enable the first ultrafast measurements of the dynamics of spin transfer torque. The three dimensional resolution and integrated optical, magnetic, and electrical control will allow scientists to separate, understand, and ultimately control competing processes. The instrument will also provide unprecedented measurement of magnon and plasmon dynamics in topological insulators and heterogeneous materials designed to control the emergence of interfacial phenomena with unique quantum mechanical properties. Successful development of the instrument will enable new interactions between fundamental science, applied science, and device engineering fields. It will enable the breakthroughs required for widespread adoption of "exotic" materials in device technologies. Conceptual aspects of the research enabled by this instrument will be integrated into new graduate and undergraduate courses and science education outreach programs. Members of underrepresented groups will be actively recruited for both the postdoctoral and undergraduate researcher positions supported by the award.