Nanomagnets are widely used to store information in non-volatile spintronic devices. Spin waves can transfer information with low-power consumption as their propagations are independent of charge transport. However, to dynamically couple two distant nanomagnets via spin waves remains a major challenge for magnonics. Here we experimentally demonstrate coherent coupling of two distant Co nanowires by fast propagating spin waves in an yttrium iron garnet thin film with sub-50 nm wavelengths. Magnons in two nanomagnets are unidirectionally phase-locked with phase shifts controlled by magnon spin torque and spin-wave propagation. The coupled system is finally formulated by an analytical theory in terms of an effective non-Hermitian Hamiltonian. Our results are attractive for analog neuromorphic computing that requires unidirectional information transmission. [Figure not available: see fulltext.]

Magnon spintronics is a prosperous field that promises beyond-CMOS technology based on elementary excitations of the magnetic order that act as information carriers for future computational architectures. Unidirectional propagation of spin waves is key to the realization of magnonic logic devices. However, previous efforts to enhance the magnetostatic surface spin wave nonreciprocity did not realize (let alone control) purely unidirectional propagation. Here we experimentally demonstrate excitation of unidirectional exchange spin waves by a nanoscale magnetic grating consisting of Co nanowires fabricated on an ultrathin yttrium iron garnet film. We explain and model the nearly perfect unidirectional excitation by the chirality of the magneto-dipolar interactions between the Kittel mode of the nanowires and the exchange spin waves of the film. Reversal of the magnetic configurations of film and nanowire array from parallel to antiparallel changes the direction of the excited spin waves. Our results raise the prospect of a chiral magnonic logic without the need to involve fragile surface states.