Magnons in Copper Oxide Last Nanoseconds, Opening Path to Spintronics

Researchers at PSI found that magnons in copper oxide retain energy for nanoseconds, far longer than the femtosecond excitation that creates them. The mismatch in momentum-energy relations between magnons and phonons slows energy transfer to the lattice, leaving time for logic operations in spintronic circuits.

• Magnons form within femtoseconds but release energy to the lattice only after nanoseconds
• The cause is differing momentum-energy relations of magnons and phonons
• The experiment used copper oxide and pump-probe X-ray techniques
• Material engineering could tune magnon lifetimes on demand