Nonreciprocal spin-wave dispersion in magnetic bilayers

Abstract

Nonreciprocal spin-wave propagation in bilayer ferromagnetic systems has attracted significant attention due to its potential to precisely quantify material parameters as well as for applications in magnonic logic and information processing. In this paper, we investigate the nonreciprocity of spin-wave dispersions in heterostructures consisting of two distinct ferromagnetic materials, focusing on the influence of saturation magnetization and thickness of the magnetic layers. We exploit Brillouin light scattering to confirm numerical calculations which are conducted with the finite element software . An extensive numerical analysis reveals that the nonreciprocal behavior is strongly influenced by the changing material parameters, with asymmetry in the spin-wave propagation direction reaching several GHz under optimized conditions. Our findings demonstrate that tailoring the bilayer composition enables precise control over nonreciprocity, providing a pathway for engineering efficient unidirectional spin-wave devices. These results offer a deeper understanding of hybrid ferromagnetic systems and open avenues for designing advanced magnonic circuits. Published by the American Physical Society 2025