A textured thin film of FeGe was grown by magnetron sputtering with a helimagnetic ordering temperature of TN = 276 ± 2 K. From 5 K to room temperature a variety of scattering processes contribute towards the overall longitudinal and Hall resistivities. These were studied by combining magnetometry and magnetotransport measurements. The high-field magnetoresistance (MR) displays three clear temperature regimes: Lorentz force MR dominates at low temperatures, above T ≈ 80 K scattering from spin-waves predominates, whilst finally for T 200 K scattering from fluctuating local moments describes the MR. At low fields, where the magnetisation is no longer technically saturated, we find a scaling of magnetoresistance with the square of the magnetisation, indicating that the MR due to the unwinding of spins in the conical phase arises from a similar mechanism to that in magnetic domain walls. This MR is only visible up to a temperature of about 200 K. No features can be found in the temperature or field dependence of the longitudinal resistivity that belie the presence of the underlying magnetic phase transition at TN: the marked changes in behavior are at much lower temperatures. The anomalous Hall effect has a dramatic temperature dependence in which the anomalous Hall resistivity scales quadratically with the longitudinal resistivity: comparison with anomalous Hall scaling theory shows that our system is in the intrinsic "moderately dirty" regime. Lastly, we find evidence of a topological Hall effect of size ∼ 100 µΩcm.

Arrays of non-interacting nanomagnets are widespread in data storage and processing. As current technologies approach fundamental limits on size and thermal stability, enhancing functionality through embracing the strong interactions present at high array densities becomes attractive. In this respect, artificial spin ices are geometrically frustrated magnetic metamaterials that offer vast untapped potential due to their unique microstate landscapes, with intriguing prospects in applications from reconfigurable logic to magnonic devices or hardware neural networks. However, progress in such systems is impeded by the inability to access more than a fraction of the total microstate space. Here, we demonstrate that topological defect-driven magnetic writing-a scanning probe technique-provides access to all of the possible microstates in artificial spin ices and related arrays of nanomagnets. We create previously elusive configurations such as the spin-crystal ground state of artificial kagome dipolar spin ices and high-energy, low-entropy 'monopole-chain' states that exhibit negative effective temperatures.

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Ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) is performed on kagome artificial spin ice (ASI) formed of disconnected Ni 80 Fe 20 nanowires. Here we break the threefold angular symmetry of the kagome lattice by altering the coercive field of each sublattice via shape anisotropy modification. This allows for distinct high-frequency responses when a magnetic field is aligned along each sublattice and additionally enables simultaneous spin-wave resonances to be excited in all nanowire sublattices, unachievable in conventional kagome ASI. The different coercive field of each sublattice allows selective magnetic switching via global field, unlocking novel microstates inaccessible in homogeneous-nanowire ASI. The distinct spin-wave spectra of these states are detected experimentally via FMR and linked to underlying microstates using micromagnetic simulation.

Realising the promise of next-generation magnetic nanotechnologies is contingent on the development of novel methods for controlling magnetic states at the nanoscale. There is currently demand for simple and flexible techniques to access exotic magnetisation states without convoluted fabrication and application processes. 360° domain walls (metastable twists in magnetisation separating two domains with parallel magnetisation) are one such state, which is currently of great interest in data storage and magnonics. Here, we demonstrate a straightforward and powerful process whereby a moving magnetic charge, provided experimentally by a magnetic force microscope tip, can write and manipulate magnetic charge states in ferromagnetic nanowires. The method is applicable to a wide range of nanowire architectures with considerable benefits over existing techniques. We confirm the method’s efficacy via the injection and spatial manipulation of 360° domain walls in Py and Co nanowires. Experimental results are supported by micromagnetic simulations of the tip-nanowire interaction.

Strongly-interacting nanomagnetic arrays are finding increasing use as model host systems for reconfigurable magnonics. The strong inter-element coupling allows for stark spectral differences across a broad microstate space due to shifts in the dipolar field landscape. While these systems have yielded impressive initial results, developing rapid, scaleable means to access a broad range of spectrally-distinct microstates is an open research problem. We present a scheme whereby square artificial spin ice is modified by widening a ‘staircase’ subset of bars relative to the rest of the array, allowing preparation of any ordered vertex state via simple global-field protocols. Available microstates range from the system ground-state to high-energy ‘monopole’ states, with rich and distinct microstate-specific magnon spectra observed. Microstate-dependent mode-hybridisation and anticrossings are observed at both remanence and in-field with dynamic coupling strength tunable via microstate-selection. Experimental coupling strengths are found up to g/2π = 0.16 GHz. Microstate control allows fine mode-frequency shifting, gap creation and closing, and active mode number selection.

The spin-wave dynamics of the ferromagnetic nanoarrays termed artificial spin ice (ASI) are known to vary depending on their magnetic microstate. However, little work has been done to characterise this relationship. Recent advances in control over the magnetic configuration of ASI bring designs harnessing the interplay between spin-wave eigenmodes and the microstate within reach, offering diverse applications including reconfigurable magnonic crystals, microwave filters and microstate read-out probes. These designs hinge on a strong understanding of the underlying spin wave-microstate correspondence.Here, we analyse the effects of the magnetic microstate on spin-wave spectra of honeycomb ASI systems via micromagnetic simulation. We find the spin-wave spectrum to be highly-tunable via the microstate to an enhanced degree relative to existing magnonic crystals, with mode shifting and (de)activation realised by reversing individual nanoislands. Symmetries of ASI systems and the chirality of magnetic defects are found to play important roles in determining the high-frequency response. * Please address correspondence to: w.branford@imperial.ac.uk 1 arXiv:1805.01397v2 [cond-mat.mes-hall]

Strongly-interacting nanomagnetic arrays are crucial across an ever-growing suite of technologies. Spanning neuromorphic computing, control over superconducting vortices and reconfigurable magnonics, the utility and appeal of these arrays lies in their vast range of distinct, stable magnetization states. Different states exhibit different functional behaviours, making precise, reconfigurable state control an essential cornerstone of such systems. However, few existing methodologies may reverse an arbitrary array element, and even fewer may do so under electrical control, vital for device integration. We demonstrate selective, reconfigurable magnetic reversal of ferromagnetic nanoislands via current-driven motion of a transverse domain wall in an adjacent nanowire. The reversal technique operates under all-electrical control with no reliance on external magnetic fields, rendering it highly suitable for device integration across a host of magnonic, spintronic and neuromorphic logic architectures. Here, the reversal technique is leveraged to realize two fully solid-state reconfigurable magnonic crystals, offering magnonic gating, filtering, transistor-like switching and peak-shifting without reliance on global magnetic fields.