Competing spin wave emission mechanisms revealed by time-resolved x-ray microscopy

Spin wave emission and propagation in magnonic waveguides represent a highly promising alternative for beyond-CMOS computing. It is therefore all the more important to fully understand the underlying physics of the emission process. Here, we use time-resolved scanning transmission x-ray microscopy to directly image the formation process of the globally excited local emission of spin waves in a permalloy waveguide at the nanoscale. Thereby, we observe spin wave emission from the corner of the waveguide as well as from a local oscillation of a domain-wall-like structure within the waveguide. Additionally, an isofrequency contour analysis is used to fully explain the origin of quasicylindrical spin wave excitation from the corner and its concurrent nonreflection and nonrefraction at the domain interface. This study is complemented by micromagnetic simulations which perfectly fit the experimental findings. Thus, we clarify the fundamental question of the emission mechanisms in magnonic waveguides which lay the basis for future magnonic operations.