Microwave Assisted Switching of Magnetisation of a Single Nanoparticle
A low temperature microSQUID magnetometer coupled to a microwave antenna was used to probe the assisted switching of the magnetization of a ferromagnetic nanoparticle. Using an original measurement protocol based on the control of the microwave amplitude and phase, we studied the basins of attraction of the precessional modes of the magnetization dynamics. The switching of the magnetization can thus be controlled by choosing an amplitude and phase in one particular basin. In particular, we evidenced the counter intuitive fact that the magnetization switching can be prevented by choosing a “wrong” phase, even though the amplitude is high enough to switch the system with another phase. Moreover, we used the basin's sensitivity to the parameters governing the magnetization dynamics to determine a value for the Gilbert's damping constant α. This is the first measurement of the damping constant on an individual nanoparticle.