Coherent surface acoustic wave-spin wave interactions detected by micro-focused Brillouin light scattering spectroscopy

We investigated the interaction of surface acoustic waves and spin waves with spatial resolution by micro-focused Brillouin light scattering spectroscopy in a Co40Fe40B20(10 nm) ferromagnetic layer on a LiNbO3-piezoelectric substrate. We experimentally demonstrate that the magnetoelastic excitation of magnons by phonons is coherent by studying the interference of light scattered off generated magnons and annihilated phonons. We find a pronounced spatial dependence of the phonon annihilation and magnon excitation, which we map as a function of the magnetic field. The coupling efficiency of the surface acoustic waves (SAWs) and the spin waves is characterized by a magnetic field-dependent decay of the SAWs amplitude. (c) 2024 Author(s). All article content, except where otherwise noted, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).