Professor Emeritus 

B.S., MIT (1963)

Ph.D., Cal. Tech. (1967)

Life Fellow of the American Physical Society

Life Fellow of the IEEE

Past President of the American Physical Society Topical Group on Magnetism

IEEE Magnetics Society Distinguished Lecturer (1994)

IEEE Millenium Medal (2000)

IEEE Magnetics Society Lifetime Achievement Award (2003)

President of the IEEE Magnetics Society (2007 – 2008)

Magnetism and Magnetic Materials

The magnetics laboratory is engaged in a variety of basic and applied problems which range from the fundamental understanding of magnetic order to the study of materials and device structures for memory and high frequency applications. The present emphasis is on microwave and millimeter wave excitations, nonlinear processes, thin films, and ferrite materials. These research activities have been supported by numerous government agencies and industrial sponsors, such as the National Science Foundation, the Army Research Office, the Office of Naval Research, the Air Force (RADC), NASA, NATO, IREX, Rockwell International, Seagate, Honeywell, Verbatim, TRW, Ampex, Westinghouse, Pacific Ceramics, and Northrop Grumman. The group has an international flavor, with present and past research students and visiting scientists from Bulgaria, China, England, Germany, India, Iraq, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Pakistan, Russia, Slovakia, Switzerland, and the Ukraine, as well as from the USA.

Fundamental research in magnetism has been in such diverse areas as domain wall dynamics in thin films, the effect of chemical short range and long range atomic order on the magnetic state of systems with competing ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic order, spin canting in ferrites with nonmagnetic substitutions, microwave relaxation processes in ferromagnetic thin films, microwave loss mechanisms in ferrites, nonlinear dynamics in magnetic systems, magnetism in spin glasses, Brillouin light scattering on magnetic excitations, giant magnetoresistance in thin film sandwiches, microwave magnetic envelope solitons in thin films, composite magneto-electric materials, and ferrite-ferroelectric heterostructures. Applied research has been concerned with studies of lunar soil magnetism, microstructure in ferrites, magnetic films for perpendicular recording and high density storage, metallic powders for absorber applications, new materials for millimeter wave applications, microwave soliton thin film devices, and surface damage effects in recording head materials.

Available Positions

Inquiries are welcome from senior scientists interested in visiting sabbatical appointments or other visiting appointments, recently graduated Ph.D. scientists interested in postdoctoral appointments, and prospective graduate students with an interest in magnetics research.

The Magnetism and Magnetic Materials Program offers opportunities for creative basic and applied research, productive work with an international team of students and scientists, individual accomplishment and teamwork toward project goals, archival publications, participation in international conferences, and interaction with scientists and engineers in basic and applied magnetics from around the world.

Current Research Support

New magnetic materials and phenomena for radar and microwave signal processing devices – bulk and thin film ferrites and metallic thin films, Office of Naval Research

Giga-hertz electromagnetic wave science and devices for advanced battlefield communications, U. S. Army Research Office [Multi-university research initiative (MURI) CSU component]

Ferrite-ferroelectric composite bulk and thin film materials for electric field tunable microwave and millimeter wave devices. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) – U. S. Army Research Office

Millimeter wave ferromagnetic resonance system development and AMFer collaboration, University of Idaho

Millimeter wave ferromagnetic resonance system development and AMFer collaboration, University of Idaho

Linear and nonlinear precession dynamics and spin wave loss in heads and media materials, Information Storage Industry Consortium

Selected Publications

  • T. Gerrits, P. Krivosik, M. L. Schneider, C. E. Patton, and T. J. Silva, “MOKE-NLFMR – Direct detection of nonlinear ferromagnetic resonance in thin films by the magneto-optic Kerr effect,” Phys. Rev. Lett. 98, 207602 1 to 4 (2007).
  • J. Das, S. S. Kalarickal, K. S. Kim, and Carl E. Patton, “Fundamental magnetic properties and structural implications for nanocrystalline Fe-Ti-N thin films,” Phys. Rev. B75, 094435 1 to 11 (2007).
  • P. Krivosik, N. Mo, S. Kalarickal, and C. E. Patton, “Hamiltonian formalism for two magnon scattering microwave relaxation – theory and applications,” J. Appl. Phys. 101, 083901 1 to 13 (2007).
  • K. R. Smith, V. I. Vasyuchka, M. Wu, G. A. Melkov, and C. E. Patton, “The Cloning and Trapping of Magnetostatic Spin Wave Pulses by Parametric Pumping,” Phys. Rev. B76, 054412 1 to 6 (2007).
  • M. Wu and Carl E. Patton, “Experimental observation of bona fide Fermi-Pasta-Ulam recurrence in a nonlinear ring system,” Phys. Rev. Lett. 98, 047202-1 to 4 (2007).
  • N. Mo, J. J. Green, P. Krivosik, and C. E. Patton, “The low field microwave effective linewidth in polycrystalline ferrites,” J. Appl. Phys. 101, 023914-1 to 10 (2007).
  • H. M. Olson, P. Krivosik, K. Sirnivasan, and C. E. Patton, “Ferromagnetic resonance saturation and second order Suhl spin wave instability processes in thin Permalloy films,” J. Appl. Phys. 102, 023904 1 to 12 (2007).
  • M. Wu, P. Krivosik, B. A. Kalinikos, and C. E. Patton, “Random generation of coherent solitary waves from incoherent waves,” Rev. Lett. 96, 227202-1 to 4 (2006).
  • M. Wu, B. A. Kalinikos, L. D. Carr, and C. E. Patton, “Observation of spin wave soliton fractals in magnetic film active feedback rings,” Phys. Rev. Lett. 96, 187202-1 to 5 (2006).
  • S. S. Kalarickal, P. Krivosik, C. E. Patton, M. L. Schneider, P. Kabos, T. J. Silva, and J. P. Nibarger, “Ferromagnetic resonance linewidth in metallic thin films – comparison of measurement methods,” J. Appl. Phys. 99, 093909 1-7 (2006).