The Non-Equilibrium Magnetic Materials program focuses on fundamental science of non-equilibrium magnetic materials and phenomena with emphasis on those enabled by Interfaces and Spin-Orbit-Coupling (SOC). It encompasses design, fabrication, measurement, and modeling of static and dynamic magnetic properties of thin film materials exhibiting strong spin-orbit interactions and inversions symmetry breaking due to interfaces, particularly dynamics and thermodynamics of spin accumulation, skyrmions and spin textures.
The research addresses three interrelated sub-projects:
- static and quasi-static novel thin film spin structures such as skyrmions and chiral magnetic textures;
- strong spin accumulation and consequent control of magnetization created by interfaces between ferromagnet/non-magnet with strong spin-orbit coupling; and
- high non-equilibrium magnetic states produced in these heterostructures and studied through electron, optical and x-ray pump/probe techniques at time scales ranging from nsec to fsec.
