Phonon–magnon conversion using longitudinal leaky surface acoustic waves through magnetoelastic coupling

Abstract

Surface acoustic waves (SAWs) can transmit magnetization oscillation inside magnetoelastic films in the form of magnetoacoustic waves. If the frequency and wavenumber of SAWs match those of spin waves, magnon excitation can be observed. In this work, we studied the phonon–magnon conversion excited by longitudinal leaky SAWs, which possess the same dominant strain component like Rayleigh-type SAWs but a much higher phase velocity. The measured transmission power absorptions of both SAW modes due to spin wave resonance follow a linear frequency dependence and exhibit a fourfold symmetry. We demonstrate that longitudinal leaky SAWs can serve as a very effective means to excite stronger phonon–magnon coupling than Rayleigh SAWs at a lower wave number.