Tuning spin excitations in magnetic films by confinement

Abstract

Spin excitations of magnetic thin films are the founding element for magnetic devices in general. While spin dynamics have been extensively studied in bulk materials, the behaviour in mesoscopic films is less known due to experimental limitations. Here, we employ resonant inelastic X-ray scattering to investigate the spectrum of spin excitations in mesoscopic Fe films, from bulk-like films down to three unit cells. In bulk samples, we find isotropic, dispersive ferromagnons consistent with previous neutron scattering results for bulk single crystals. As the thickness is reduced, these ferromagnetic spin excitations renormalize to lower energies along the out-of-plane direction while retaining their dispersion in the in-plane direction. This thickness dependence is captured by simple Heisenberg model calculations accounting for the confinement in the out-of-plane direction through the loss of Fe bonds. Our findings highlight the effects of mesoscopic scaling on spin dynamics and identify thickness as a knob for fine tuning and controlling magnetic properties.