Tripartite Phonon-Magnon-Plasmon Coupling, Parametric Amplification, and Formation of a Phonon-Magnon-Plasmon Polariton in a Two-Dimensional Periodic Array of Magnetostrictive/Plasmonic Bilayered Nanodots

Abstract: Coupling between spin waves (SWs) and other types of waves in nanostructured magnetic media has garnered increased attention in recent years because of the rich physics and the potential to produce disruptive technologies. Among this family of intriguing phenomena, we recently reported a new one: coupling between SWs and hybridized phonon-plasmon waves, resulting in tripartite coupling of magnons, phonons, and plasmons. Here, this acousto-plasmo-magnonic phenomenon is studied in a two-dimensional periodic array of bilayered [Co/Al] nanodots on a silicon substrate, where the Co is a magnetostrictive constituent responsive to magneto-elastic coupling and the Al acts as a source of surface plasmons. Time-resolved magneto-optical-Kerr-effect microscopy revealed parametric amplification and strong coupling between two spin wave modes mediated by a hybrid phonon-plasmon wave. The strong coupling forms a new quasi-particle: the phonon-plasmonmagnon polariton.