Group of Magnetism · UB

Active project · 2024–2028

MAGO

Electric control of orbital magnetism in nanodevices

PID2023-150721OB-I00€200,000Ferran Macià · Marius V. Costache

Orbital angular momentum as a device resource

MAGO studies the generation, transport, detection and electrical control of orbital angular momentum in nanoscale systems. The project connects emerging orbitronics with magnetoacoustics and two-dimensional magnetic materials.

Scientific programme

1

Orbital currents in light transition metals

Generate and detect orbital angular-momentum currents in 3d metals such as Ti, V and Cr, separating orbital and spin contributions.

2

Acoustic orbitronics

Use surface acoustic waves and chiral lattice motion to pump orbital currents without relying exclusively on charge-current injection.

3

Orbital magnetism in 2D materials

Investigate electrically controlled orbital and magnetic phenomena in van der Waals magnets and related heterostructures.

4

Nanodevice concepts

Combine materials, interfaces and device geometries to assess orbitronic control strategies for energy-efficient magnetic technologies.

Experimental approach

  • Nanofabrication and electrical transport in metallic and two-dimensional heterostructures.
  • Ferromagnetic resonance and spin-/orbital-pumping measurements.
  • Surface acoustic wave devices and magnetoelastic excitation.
  • XPEEM, XMCD and XMLD measurements at the CIRCE beamline of ALBA.
  • Micromagnetic and transport modelling.

Continuity

MAGO builds on the magnetoacoustic platform developed in the Magnetomechanical Control and SoundSpin projects, and on the acoustic generation of angular-momentum currents explored in SAW-MRAM and subsequent work.

Publications resulting from the project

The list includes publications in which the project is explicitly identified in the acknowledgements or funding metadata.

  1. Magnetoacoustic waves in a highly magnetostrictive Fe₇₂Ga₂₈ thin film. APL Materials 13, 021112 (2025). doi:10.1063/5.0237699
  2. Magneto-ionic control of magnetism through voltage-driven carbon transport. Nature Communications 17, 1568 (2026). doi:10.1038/s41467-026-68283-w

Preprints

  • Chiral-phonon generation of orbital currents in light transition metals. arXiv:2512.08385 (2025). arXiv:2512.08385

Funding

Project PID2023-150721OB-I00 is funded by MICIU/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by ERDF, EU.

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