top of page
Research
Spin-orbit physics
Spin-orbit coupling connects the spin of the electron to its linear momentum, opening a fascinating playground to discover new phenomena and engineer advanced devices. We investigate the conversion between spin and charge currents, the nature of spin-orbit torque in complex heterostructures, but also spin transport in systems involving materials with non-trivial topology.
Nonlinear quantum transport
We explore the properties of materials and heterostructures beyond the linear response. As an example of the exciting effects arising in this regime, the nonlinear Hall effect emerges in nonmagnetic materials lacking inversion symmetry and in the absence of magnetic field. Other surprising effects take place at higher order in the electric field and in the presence of mirror and inversion symmetry breaking.
Magnetic textures and magnonics
Magnetic domains walls and topological textures such as skymrions, bi-merons, hopfions etc., are considered with great interest for applications in memories, logic and neuromorphic computing. We are developing analytical and numerical simulations to understand how to electrically manispulate these textures ad how they can be used to convey information. More recently, we have been interested in better understanding how elementary excitations such as magnons propagate and interact with each other in magnets with non-trivial topology.
Topelectrical circuits
Recently, it was demonstrated that smartly designed electrical circuit can simulate quantum systems including topological matter, potentially with nonlinearities and non-hermicity. This approach allows for the experimental realization and observation of highly unconventional states of matter that would be difficult to achieve with condensed matter.
Antiferromagnetic spintronics
Antiferromagnets are materials with long-range magnetic order but no overall magnetization. They exhibit extremely fast dynamics, typically in the THz range, And can host very unusual spin transport properties such as anomalous Hall effect, spin-orbit-free unconventional Hall effects and highly anisotropic spin-polarisation. We explore these various effects in close collaboration with experimentalists.
Orbitronics
Spintronics aims to control the intrinsic angular momentum of electron wave packets. Orbitronics intends to generate, manipulate and detect the electron's orbital angular momentum. We are developing theoretical models to study novel means to generate orbital currents and densities. Whereas spintronics tends to exploit heavy metals with strong spin-orbit coupling, orbitronics effects can be obtained in light metals, with (hopefully) a reduced impact on the environment.
Two-dimensional materials
Two-dimensional materials have recently emerged as a very exciting platform for advanced electronics and spintronics. In particular, heterostructures involving van der Waals magnets display spin-charge interconversion spin-orbit torques and Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction with symmetries that are not usually encountered in conventional transition metal thin films. In close interaction with experimentalists, we explore the nature of these different effects and intend to understand how to control them via interfacial and chemical engineering.
Ultrafast dynamics
Itinerant spin dynamics ins ferro- and antiferromagnets is governed by the s-d exchange parameter, yielding a typical timescale in the femtosecond range. This dynamics is at the original the ultrafast demagnetization observed in transition metals, and leads to terahertz emission in heterostructures. We investigate the dynamics of conduction electrons in such heterostructures induced by femtosecond laser pulses and explore its potential for THz emission and high-harmonic generation.
bottom of page