The damping of spin motions in ultrathin films: Is the Landau-Lifschitz-Gilbert phenomenology applicable?

Abstract

The Landau-Lifschitz-Gilbert (LLG) equation is used widely in device design to describe spin motions in magnetic nanoscale structures. The damping term in this equation plays an essential role in the description of the magnetization dynamics. The form of this term is simple and appealing, but it is derived through use of elementary phenomenological considerations. An important question is whether or not it provides a proper description of the damping of the magnetization in real materials. Recently, it was predicted that a mechanism called two magnon damping should contribute importantly to linewidths and consequently spin damping in ultrathin ferromagnetic films. This process yields ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) linewidths whose frequency dependence is incompatible with the linear variation expected from the Landau-Lifsehitz equation. This prediction has now been confirmed experimentally. Furthermore, subsequent experimental and theoretical studies have demonstrated that the damping rate depends strongly on wave vector as well. It is thus clear that for many samples, the LLG equation fails to account for the systematics of the damping of the magnetization in ultrathin ferromagnets,. at the linear response level. The paper will review the recent literature on this topic relevant to this issue. One must then inquire into the nature of a proper phenomenology to describe these materials. At the linear response level, the theory of the two magnon mechanism is sufficiently complete that one can describe the response of these systems without resort to LLG phenomenology. However, currently there is very great interest in the large amplitude response of the magnetization in magnetic nanostructures. In the view of the authors, it is difficult to envision a generally applicable extension of linear response theory into the large amplitude regime.