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In this work, we extract the temperature-dependent bilinear J1 and biquadratic J2 exchange energy densities in permalloy–ruthenium-based synthetic antiferromagnet bilayers, trilayers, and tetralayers. In our samples, the ruthenium interlayer thickness is fixed to be 1 nm across all structures, but we consider permalloy layers that are 3 and 9 nm thick. To the best of our knowledge, this work represents the first time that the influence of both the ferromagnetic layer thickness as well as the total number of ferromagnetic layers on biquadratic exchange interactions has been examined together. Across all samples, we observe a significant increase in the strength of J2 relative to J1 as the temperature is lowered. We also observe trends indicating that J2 is sensitive to both the thickness and the total number of permalloy layers. Our analysis suggests that in structures with thicker and more numerous ferromagnetic layers, J2 originates from interfacial roughness effects between the magnetic layer and the spacer layer. In samples with thinner and less numerous permalloy layers, multiple mechanisms must contribute to J2. These findings provide new insights into the complexity of interlayer exchange interactions in synthetic antiferromagnets, which will aid in interpreting ongoing magnonic and spintronic experimental studies of synthetic antiferromagnets. 

Abstract Recently the field of cavity magnonics, a field focused on controlling the interaction between magnons and photons confined within microwave resonators, has drawn significant attention as it offers a platform for enabling advancements in quantum- and spin-based technologies. Here, we introduce excitation vector fields, whose polarisation and profile can be easily tuned in a two-port cavity setup, thus acting as an effective experimental dial to explore the coupled dynamics of cavity magnon-polaritons. Moreover, we develop theoretical models that accurately predict and reproduce the experimental results for any polarisation state and field profile within the cavity resonator. This versatile experimental platform offers a new avenue for controlling spin-photon interactions by manipulating the polarisation of excitation fields. By introducing real-time tunable parameters that control the polarisation state, our experiment delivers a mechanism to readily control the exchange of information between hybrid systems. 

Abstract The opto-electronic oscillators (OEOs) hosting self-sustained oscillations by a time-delayed mechanism are of particular interest in long-haul signal transmission and processing. On the other hand, owing to their unique tunability and compatibility, magnons—as elementary excitations of spin waves—are advantageous carriers for coherent signal transduction across different platforms. In this work, we integrated an opto-electronic oscillator with a magnonic oscillator consisting of a microwave waveguide and a yttrium iron garnet sphere. We find that, in the presence of the magnetic sphere, the oscillator power spectrum exhibits sidebands flanking the fundamental OEO modes. The measured waveguide transmission reveals anti-crossing gaps, a hallmark of the coupling between the opto-electronic oscillator modes and the Walker modes of the sphere. Experimental results are well reproduced by a coupled-mode theory that accounts for nonlinear magnetostrictive interactions mediated by the magnetic sphere. Leveraging the advanced fiber-optic technologies in opto-electronics, this work lays out a new, hybrid platform for investigating long-distance coupling and nonlinearity in coherent magnonic phenomena. 

Non-Hermitian Hamiltonians provide an alternative perspective on the dynamics of quantum and classical systems coupled non-conservatively to an environment. Once primarily an interest of mathematical physicists, the theory of non-Hermitian Hamiltonians has solidified and expanded to describe various physically observable phenomena in optical, photonic, and condensed matter systems. Self-consistent descriptions of quantum mechanics based on non-Hermitian Hamiltonians have been developed and continue to be refined. In particular, non-Hermitian frameworks to describe magnonic and hybrid magnonic systems have gained popularity and utility in recent years with new insights into the magnon topology, transport properties, and phase transitions coming into view. Magnonic systems are in many ways a natural platform in which to realize non-Hermitian physics because they are always coupled to a surrounding environment and exhibit lossy dynamics. In this Perspective, we review recent progress in non-Hermitian frameworks to describe magnonic and hybrid magnonic systems, such as cavity magnonic systems and magnon–qubit coupling schemes. We discuss progress in understanding the dynamics of inherently lossy magnetic systems as well as systems with gain induced by externally applied spin currents. We enumerate phenomena observed in both purely magnonic and hybrid magnonic systems which can be understood through the lens of non-Hermitian physics, such as PT and anti-PT-symmetry breaking, dynamical magnetic phase transitions, non-Hermitian skin effect, and the realization of exceptional points and surfaces. Finally, we comment on some open problems in the field and discuss areas for further exploration.