Terahertz magnetic excitation in antiferromagnets: atomistic spin simulations versus a coupled pendulum model

Abstract

Abstract Understanding and manipulating of the antiferromagnetic (AF) ultrafast spin dynamics in antiferromagnets (AFMs) is a crucial importance issue because of the promising applications in terahertz spintronic devices. In this study, an analytical theory extended from the classic coupled pendulum model has been developed to describe the intrinsic magnetic excitation of AFMs. The derived frequency dispersion of the AF resonances has been further checked by using the atomistic-level Landau–Lifshitz–Gilbert simulations. We show that the rutile crystalline AFM MnF2 possess two separate resonance modes at low magnetic fields: high frequency mode with right-handed polarization and low frequency mode with left-handed polarization. In the absence of magnetic field, these two resonance modes could degenerate into a single resonance state. When the applied magnetic field is higher than the spin-flip field, the system behaves a quasi-ferromagnetic mode. Both quantitative and qualitative agreement with atomistic simulation results confirm the theoretical picture of the AF resonance dynamics. This study provides a simple but physical understanding of the ultrafast dynamics of AF excitations.