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Biologically encoded magnonics
Benjamin W Zingsem1,2, Thomas Feggeler3, Alexandra Terwey3
1Faculty of Physics and Center for Nanointegration (CENIDE), University Duisburg-Essen, 47057, Duisburg, Germany. Benjamin.Zingsem@uni-due.de.
Nature Communications
|September 27, 2019
Summary
Researchers developed nanoscale magnonics using biogenic nanoparticle chains for energy-efficient computing. Genetically engineered bacteria create these chains, enabling tunable quantum states for novel computing architectures.
Area of Science:
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Biotechnology
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Spin wave logic circuits, or magnonics, offer low-energy, parallelizable computing but are limited by micrometer-scale devices.
- Developing nanoscale magnonic devices is crucial for advancing next-generation computing.
Purpose of the Study:
- To demonstrate the feasibility of biogenic nanoparticle chains for nanoscale magnonics at room temperature.
- To explore the genetic engineering of magnonic quantum states in nanoconfined geometries.
Main Methods:
- Utilized magnetosome chains composed of magnetite crystals (approx. 12 crystals, 35 nm particle size each).
- Performed experimental measurements combined with micromagnetic simulations.
- Investigated different bacterial mutants with varying magnetite crystal arrangements.
Main Results:
- Showcased biogenic nanoparticle chains as a viable platform for nanoscale magnonics.
- Demonstrated that the local arrangement and orientation of magnetite particles dictate magnon band topology (anisotropy, band deformation, band gaps).
- Established a correlation between bacterial genotype and the resulting magnonic properties.
Conclusions:
- Biogenic nanoparticle chains represent a significant step towards truly nanoscale magnonics.
- Genetically engineering bacterial magnetosomes allows for precise control over magnonic quantum states.
- This biomagnonic approach opens possibilities for self-assembling novel architectures for magnonic computing.
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