Angular control of a hybrid magnetic metamolecule using anisotropic FeCo

Gregory SA, Maple LC, Stenning GBG, Hesjedal T, van der Laan G, Bowden GJ

By coupling magnetic elements to metamaterials, hybrid metamolecules can be created with useful properties such as photon-magnon mode mixing. Here, we present results for a split-ring resonator (SRR) placed in close proximity to a thin crystalline film of magnetically hard FeCo. Eddy-current shielding is suppressed by patterning the FeCo into 100-μm disks. At the ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) condition of FeCo, photon-magnon coupling strengths of 5% are observed. Altogether, three distinct features are presented and discussed: (i) remanent magnets allow FMR to be performed in a near-zero field, partially eliminating the need for applied fields; (ii) the anisotropic FMR permits angular control over hybrid SRR and FMR resonances; and (iii) the in-plane and out-of-plane magnetization of FeCo opens the door to “magnetically configurable metamaterials” in real time. Finally, a special study is presented of how best to excite the numerous transverse magnetic and electric modes of the SRR by using near-field excitation from a coplanar waveguide.