Propagation of spin waves through a Néel domain wall

Abstract: Spin waves have the potential to be used as a new platform for data transfer and processing as they can reach wavelengths in the nanometer range and frequencies in the terahertz range. To realize a spin-wave device, it is essential to be able to manipulate the amplitude as well as the phase of spin waves. Several theoretical and recently also experimental works have shown that the spin-wave phase can be manipulated by the transmission through a domain wall (DW). Here, we study propagation of spin waves through a DW by means of micro-focused Brillouin light scattering microscopy ($\mu$BLS). The acquired 2D spin-wave intensity maps reveal that spin-wave transmission through a N\'eel DW is influenced by a topologically enforced circular Bloch line in the DW center and that the propagation regime depends on the spin-wave frequency. In the first regime, two spin-wave beams propagating around the circular Bloch line are formed, whereas in the second regime, spin waves propagate in a single central beam through the circular Bloch line. Phase-resolved $\mu$BLS measurements reveal a phase shift upon transmission through the domain wall for both regimes. Micromagnetic modelling of the transmitted spin waves unveils a distortion of their phase fronts which needs to be taken into account when interpreting the measurements and designing potential devices. Moreover, we show, by means of micromagnetic simulations, that an external magnetic field can be used to move the circular Bloch line within the DW and to manipulate spin-wave propagation.