Excitation of Terahertz Magnons in Antiferromagnetic Nanostructures: Theory and Experiment

The theoretical and experimental studies of the excitation, detection, and propagation of magnons in antiferromagnetic nanostructures have been reviewed. The properties of antiferromagnetic materials such as the absence of a macroscopic magnetization, the presence of strong exchange interactions, and a complex magnetocrystalline structure make it possible to implement new types of memory and functional electronic devices. The study of possible magnon effects in antiferromagnetic materials in micro- and nanoscales requires new experimental and theoretical approaches. In this review, the recent results on the excitation of magnetic oscillations—magnons—in antiferromagnetic materials induced by the current and optical radiation are described and systematized. The main theoretical results on antiferromagnets and multilayer antiferromagnetic heterostructures are presented. Models for description of phenomena induced by the current and optical pulses in nanoheterostructures including antiferromagnets are considered. Methods for studying antiferromagnetic micro- and nanostructures by means of Brillouin scattering, as well as prospects of the application of antiferromagnetic spintronics and magnonics, are briefly discussed.