spIn-CAvitronics foR disrUptive RF applicationS – ICARUS

Nonreciprocity, induced by broken symmetries of nature, is indispensable for RF applications. Thus there is an great interest to develop compact and integrated RF isolators and circulators that go beyond bulky solutions based on Faraday rotation in ferrites. Such devices are valuable tools for both current communication systems and future quantum systems. Two approaches can be envisioned to manipulate Parity-Time (PT) symmetry in spin-cavitronics which can lead to nonreciprocal behaviour. The first one relies on introducing chiral coupling between magnons and photons, whilst the second one is based on the ability to tune between (and combine) the regimes of conservative and dissipative coupling, leading to exceptional points, zero damping conditions and to the exploration of bound states in the continuum. ICARUS has two objectives. On the fundamental side, we will study the conditions to control PT symmetry in both coherent and dissipative spin-cavitronic devices. On the applied side, we aim at realizing new concepts of RF isolators and circulators using the nonreciprocity of spin-cavitronics devices. We will extend these approaches from the X (8-12 GHz) to the W (75-110 GHz) frequency bands, by shifting from well-known garnet based ferrimagnets to unexplored antiferromagnetic materials. The purpose of ICARUS is thus to provide a clear overview of PT symmetry mechanisms in spin-cavitronics, using the expertise in spin-cavitronics at IMT Atlantique/Thales, RF modeling and design at IMT Atlantique/ELLIPTIKA. The project is built on the complementary expertise of the three partners, and ongoing collaborations. Besides its fundamental interest, ICARUS’s ambition is to offer a pathway for more compact and integrated nonreciprocal devices, which would benefit both signal processing and noise canceling for quantum processing.