Integrated optically-inspired wave-based processing is envisioned to outperform digital architectures in specific tasks, such as image processing and speech recognition. In this view, spin-waves represent a promising route due to their nanoscale wavelength in the GHz frequency range and rich phenomenology. Here, we realize a versatile optically-inspired platform using spin-waves, demonstrating the wavefront engineering, focusing, and robust interference of spin-waves with nanoscale wavelength. In particular, we use magnonic nanoantennas based on tailored spin-textures for launching spatially shaped coherent wavefronts, diffraction-limited spin-wave beams, and generating robust multi-beam interference patterns, which spatially extend for several times the spin-wave wavelength. Furthermore, we show that intriguing features, such as resilience to back-reflection, naturally arise from the spin-wave nonreciprocity in synthetic antiferromagnets, preserving the high quality of the interference patterns from spurious counterpropagating modes. This work represents a fundamental step towards the realization of nanoscale optically-inspired devices based on spin-waves.
@article{arxiv.1902.09420,
title = {Nonreciprocal nano-optics with spin-waves in synthetic antiferromagnets},
author = {Edoardo Albisetti and Silvia Tacchi and Raffaele Silvani and Giuseppe Scaramuzzi and Simone Finizio and Sebastian Wintz and Jörg Raabe and Giovanni Carlotti and Riccardo Bertacco and Elisa Riedo and Daniela Petti},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1902.09420},
year = {2019}
}