Orthogonal Magnon-Phonon Coupling Enables Information Encoding in Bulk CrSBr

Area of Science:

• Condensed Matter Physics
• Materials Science
• Quantum Information Science

Background:

• Orthogonal coupling of magnons and phonons in layered magnets offers a novel pathway for energy-efficient information processing.
• Ultrafast spectroscopy is a key technique for probing dynamic spin and lattice interactions in magnetic materials.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the fundamental mechanisms of magnon-phonon coupling in the layered magnet CrSBr.
• To demonstrate the feasibility of using these coupled excitations for polarization-multiplexed binary logic operations.

Main Methods:

• Utilized polarization-controlled ultrafast spectroscopy to excite and detect magnons and coherent acoustic phonons (CAPs).
• Analyzed the spatial propagation directions and frequencies of magnons (b-axis, ~24 GHz) and CAPs (a-axis, 18.1 GHz).
• Investigated magnetic-field-tunable magnetoelastic coupling strengths up to 1.5 GHz.

Main Results:

• Identified spatially separated magnons and CAPs propagating along orthogonal axes in CrSBr.
• Achieved successful polarization-multiplexed binary logic encoding by selectively activating magnons for logic "1" and phonons for logic "0".
• Demonstrated practical applicability through the encoding and retrieval of alphabetic characters.

Conclusions:

• Orthogonal magnon-phonon coupling in CrSBr provides a robust platform for developing wave-based logic devices.
• This research lays the groundwork for energy-efficient computing and quantum information processing technologies.
• The findings highlight the potential of layered magnets for next-generation electronic applications.