Spin waves can mimic the properties of graphene // Photo: yale.edu .
The discovery will help microwave communication devices shrink significantly in size, down to a few micrometers. The results of the study are published in Physical Review X, a publication of the American Physical Society.
Unexpected connection
American scientists have linked two seemingly unrelated areas of physics by demonstrating that magnetic waves can mimic the behavior of electrons in graphene. This was achieved by creating a magnon crystal – a magnetic material with a repeating pattern that controls the movement of spin waves.
After the research team calculated how the spin waves travel through this structure, they found that the energy and motion of the waves obeyed the same mathematical equations as the electrons in graphene.
The calculations also revealed nine different energy bands for the spin waves, some of which behave similarly to graphene’s massless electron waves. Others, in turn, correspond to localized states and even exhibit topological effects. These phenomena can lead to very stable wave transport.
Practical applications in communication devices
According to the researchers, the discovery could find practical applications in microwave technologies used in wireless and cellular networks. One such device is a microwave circulator, which allows microwave radio signals to propagate in only one direction. They are usually quite bulky, but the developed system is able to shrink microwave devices by hundreds of times and greatly simplify their placement.
