Advanced Microscopy for Magnetic Materials

Course Description:

 Recent advances in X-ray, optical, scanning probe, and electron microscopy techniques allow one to characterize and image the static and dynamic magnetic configurations of nanostructures and non-collinear spin systems down to the nanoscale. These pump-probe techniques can explore spin dynamics with high spatial resolution down to sub-ns timescales. The techniques are based on principles such as transmission electron microscopy, x-ray scattering, x-ray, and electron magnetic dichroism, scanning probe microscopy, and inelastic light scattering. They probe different physical quantities and provide complementary information for fundamental research on magnetic materials and their functional properties, e.g., magnetic storage, spintronics, and magnonics. Swiss research groups have contributed to recent technological advancements, and the magnetism research community is continuously growing. Hence, this course provides an overview and specific insight into advanced optical, x-ray, and electron microscopy techniques for the characterization of magnetic properties of materials. The planned course allows Ph.D. students to acquire theoretical knowledge through lectures and get practical insight via live demonstrations performed in different labs on the EPFL campus.

Plan: 3-day block course for Ph.D. students held on Nov. 16^th-18^th, 2022

(A)   2.5 days – 90 min (including examples and Q&A sessions) lectures from 8 invited experts, 4 external and 4 internal. Online recordings will be provided and accessible in a Moodle, as well as slide handouts and literature references

(B)   0.5-day demonstrations- LTEM (CIME Titan Facility, EPFL), BLS (LMGN, EPFL), and MOKE (LUMES, EPFL)