Facilities

Equipment and techniques

Experimental, fabrication and computational capabilities used by the group, together with institutional and external facilities.

Magneto-optical imaging

in-house

Custom real-time magneto-optical Kerr effect microscope for magnetic-domain and domain-wall imaging.
Stroboscopic MOKE measurements for time-resolved imaging of magnetoacoustic waves.
Pulsed-field and temperature-dependent configurations for domain-wall dynamics.

Microwave and ferromagnetic-resonance spectroscopy

in-house

E4448A PSA spectrum analyser, 3 Hz–50 GHz.
8565E portable spectrum analyser, 9 kHz–50 GHz.
8510C vector network analyser.
E8361A PNA network analyser, 10 MHz–67 GHz.
Millimetre-wave PNA network analyser, 10 MHz–110 GHz.
Broadband FMR configurations for magnetic anisotropy, damping and dynamic response.

Cryogenic electrical and microwave measurements

in-house

In-house cryostat covering 1.8–300 K and magnetic fields from −5 T to 5 T.
In-house dilution-refrigerator platform covering 50 mK–4.2 K and magnetic fields from −5 T to 5 T.
Electrical-transport and microwave measurements as a function of temperature and magnetic field.

Thin-film growth and device fabrication

in-house/shared

Thermal evaporation.
DC and RF magnetron sputtering.
Optical lithography and profilometry in the Faculty of Physics clean room.
Fabrication of interdigitated transducers and magnetic devices on piezoelectric substrates.

Electrical and magnetoresistance measurements

in-house

Lock-in amplifiers and precision Keithley source-measure units.
Magnetoresistance measurements as a function of field, temperature and domain-wall position.
Low-noise current and voltage sourcing for magnetic and quantum-transport devices.

Computation and data analysis

in-house

GPU workstations for micromagnetic simulations with MuMax3.
Image-processing pipelines for domain-wall tracking and stroboscopic measurements.
Statistical analysis of avalanches, point processes and non-equilibrium dynamics.

Low-temperature magnetometry

institutional · CCiTUB

RF SQUID magnetometer available through the CCiTUB Scientific and Technological Centres.
Temperature range: 1.8–300 K.
Magnetic field range: −5 T to 5 T.

Shared structural characterization

shared

CCiTUB access to X-ray diffraction, SEM, TEM and atomic-force microscopy.
Additional shared magnetometry and scanning-probe facilities at UB and partner institutes.

Synchrotron magnetic microscopy

external collaboration

Regular access to XPEEM, XMCD and XMLD imaging at the CIRCE beamline of the ALBA Synchrotron.
Dedicated GHz excitation sample environments for time-resolved magnetic imaging.

Laboratory gallery

Instrumentation, fabrication and shared facilities

A selection of the equipment and experimental environments used by GMAG.

Researchers performing MOKE measurements in the GMAG laboratory — Magneto-optical imaging. MOKE measurements at the GMAG laboratory.

Bipolar operational power supply and amplifier — Field control. Bipolar power supply and amplifier used in magnetic-field experiments.

High-speed digital oscilloscope — Time-domain measurements. High-bandwidth oscilloscope for fast electrical and microwave signals.

CIRCE beamline at the ALBA Synchrotron — Synchrotron microscopy. The CIRCE beamline at ALBA, used for XPEEM, XMCD and XMLD experiments.

Wire bonding a high-frequency device — Device preparation. Wire bonding for electrical and high-frequency measurements.

Custom microwave sample holder and device — Microwave devices. Custom sample holder for radiofrequency and magnetoacoustic measurements.

Micromagnetic simulations running on laboratory workstations — Simulation. Micromagnetic modelling and data analysis with GPU workstations.

Collaborations

Selected scientific partners

The group works through a broad network of national and international collaborations.

ALBA Synchrotron

XPEEM, XMCD/XMLD and GHz magnetic microscopy

Paul-Drude-Institut für Festkörperelektronik

SAW devices and epitaxial hybrid structures

Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)

Magnetoacoustics and hybrid magnetic systems

New York University

Spin-transfer torque and magnetic solitons

ICMAB-CSIC

Oxide materials, ferroics and spin transport

ICN2

2D materials, ferroic structures and nanofabrication

CONICET, Argentina

Domain-wall motion, depinning and statistical modelling

SPIN-CNR and collaborating Italian institutes

Spin pumping and superconducting hybrid structures

Stockholm University and JAIST

International phonon–magnon collaboration