Nanoscale X-ray imaging of spin dynamics in yttrium iron garnet

Time-resolved scanning transmission x-ray microscopy has been used for the direct imaging of spin-wave dynamics in a thin film yttrium iron garnet (YIG) with sub-200 nm spatial resolution. Application of this x-ray transmission technique to single-crystalline garnet films was achieved by extracting a lamella (13 × 5 × 0.185 μm 3) of the liquid phase epitaxy grown YIG thin film out of a gadolinium gallium garnet substrate. Spin waves in the sample were measured along the Damon-Eshbach and backward volume directions of propagation at gigahertz frequencies and with wavelengths in a range between 200 nm and 10 μm. The results were compared to theoretical models. Here, the widely used approximate dispersion equation for dipole-exchange spin waves proved to be insufficient for describing the observed Damon-Eshbach type modes. For achieving an accurate description, we made use of the full analytical theory taking mode-hybridization effects into account.