Spatiotemporal diffractive magnonics in two-dimensional magnetic systems
Phys. Rev. B 113, 054423 – Published 12 February, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/7zfd-p48s
Abstract
As the most common type of waves, light is an indispensable tool in our daily lives. Our understanding and management of light diffraction give rise to precise microfabrication and optical microscopy. Here we unveil that the evolution of magnetic moments in two-dimensional (2D) magnetic systems can be mapped into a spatiotemporal diffraction process, similar to the spatial diffraction of a light beam along its propagating axis. Based on this mapping, we show it is possible to encode the time evolution of magnetic moments into their initial spatial distribution, and show how to harness this principle for the generation and manipulation of spin structures in a precise way, as the analogy of laser microfabrication. Moreover, we illustrate how the spin structure in a 2D magnetic system can be made to spontaneously reemerge through phase alignment, which is the magnetic analogy of optical microscopy. These results unlock an unprecedented control over magnetic moments and are expected to open new avenues in the study of magnetic materials and the development of next-generation spintronic devices.
