Ferrimagnetic CoFe 2 O 4 nanopillars embedded in a ferroelectric BaTiO 3 matrix are an example for a two-phase magnetoelectrically coupled system. They operate at room temperature and are free of any resource-critical rare-earth element, which makes them interesting for potential applications. Prior studies succeeded in showing strain-mediated coupling between the two subsystems. In particular, the electric properties can be tuned by magnetic fields and the magnetic properties by electric fields. Here we take the analysis of the coupling to a new level utilizing soft X-ray absorption spectroscopy and its associated linear dichroism. We demonstrate that an in-plane magnetic field breaks the tetragonal symmetry of the (1,3)-type CoFe 2 O 4 /BaTiO 3 structures and discuss it in terms of off-diagonal magnetostrictive-piezoelectric coupling. This coupling creates staggered in-plane components of the electric polarization, which are stable even at magnetic remanence due to hysteretic behaviour of structural changes in the BaTiO 3 matrix. The competing mechanisms of clamping and relaxation effects are discussed in detail.

The design of future spintronic devices requires a quantitative understanding of the microscopic linear and nonlinear spin relaxation processes governing the magnetization reversal in nanometer-scale ferromagnetic systems. Ferromagnetic resonance is the method of choice for a quantitative analysis of relaxation rates, magnetic anisotropy and susceptibility in a single experiment. The approach offers the possibility of coherent control and manipulation of nanoscaled structures by microwave irradiation. Here, we analyze the different excitation modes in a single nanometer-sized ferromagnetic stripe. Measurements are performed using a microresonator set-up which offers a sensitivity to quantitatively analyze the dynamic and static magnetic properties of single nanomagnets with volumes of (100 nm)(3). Uniform as well as non-uniform volume modes of the spin wave excitation spectrum are identified and found to be in excellent agreement with the results of micromagnetic simulations which allow the visualization of the spatial distribution of these modes in the nanostructures.

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Surface-modulated magnonic crystals are the natural link between continuous films with sinusoidal spin-wave eigenmodes and one-dimensional magnonic crystals composed of individual nanowires. Nevertheless, the transformation process of the spin-wave modes in this transition remains yet unclear. Here, spin-wave modes in their entire transition from a flat film to a 'full' (one-dimensional) magnonic crystal are studied by ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) and micromagnetic simulations. For this purpose, the surface of a pre-patterned thin permalloy film was sequentially ion milled resulting in hybrid structures, referred to as surface-modulated magnonic crystals, with increasing modulation depth. After each step, FMR measurements were carried out in backward-volume and Damon-Eshbach geometry. The evolution of each spin-wave resonance is studied together with the corresponding mode profile obtained by micromagnetic simulations. Simple rules describing the transition of the modes from the film to the modes of the full magnonic crystal are provided unraveling the complexity of spin-wave states in these hybrid systems.

We demonstrate how planar microresonators (PMRs) can be utilized to investigate the angular dependent magnetic resonance response of single magnetic nanostructures. In contrast to alternative detection schemes like electrical or optical detection, the PMR approach provides a classical means of investigating the high frequency dynamics of single magnetic entities, enabling the use of well-established analysis methods of ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) spectroscopy. To demonstrate the performance of the PMR-based FMR setup for angular dependent measurements, we investigate the microwave excited magnons in a single Co stripe of 5 Â 1 Â 0.02 lm 3 and compare the results to micromagnetic simulations. The evolution of excited magnons under rotation of one individual stripe with respect to a static magnetic field is investigated. Besides quasi uniform excitations, we observe magneto-static as well as localized excitations. We find a strong influence of inhomogeneous dynamic and static demagnetizing fields for all modes. V