The 2021 Magnonics Roadmap.

Magnonics is a budding research field in nanomagnetism and nanoscience that addresses the use of spin waves (magnons) to transmit, store, and process information. The rapid advancements of this field during last one decade in terms of upsurge in research papers, review articles, citations, proposals of devices as well as introduction of new sub-topics prompted us to present the first roadmap on magnonics. This is a collection of 22 sections written by leading experts in this field who review and discuss the current status besides presenting their vision of future perspectives. Today, the principal challenges in applied magnonics are the excitation of sub-100 nm wavelength magnons, their manipulation on the nanoscale and the creation of sub-micrometre devices using low-Gilbert damping magnetic materials and its interconnections to standard electronics. To this end, magnonics offers lower energy consumption, easier integrability and compatibility with CMOS structure, reprogrammability, shorter wavelength, smaller device features, anisotropic properties, negative group velocity, non-reciprocity and efficient tunability by various external stimuli to name a few. Hence, despite being a young research field, magnonics has come a long way since its early inception. This roadmap asserts a milestone for future emerging research directions in magnonics, and hopefully, it will inspire a series of exciting new articles on the same topic in the coming years.

Magnetocrystalline and magnetoelastic constants determined by magnetization dynamics under static strain.

We consider here the magnetization dynamics induced in a ferromagnet by magnetoelastic coupling, after application of a step like strain. We derive the time evolution of the magnetization vector. We show that the material micromagnetic parameters (and specifically magnetic anisotropy and magnetoelastic coupling) can be derived from measurable quantities, i.e. the precession frequency, relaxation time and phase lag between the precession angles. Such measurements can be performed by state of the art time resolved Kerr experiments.

Straight motion of half-integer topological defects in thin Fe-N magnetic films with stripe domains.

In thin magnetic films with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy, a periodic "up-down" stripe-domain structure can be originated at remanence, on a mesoscopic scale (~100 nm) comparable with film thickness, by the competition between short-range exchange coupling and long-range dipolar interaction. However, translational order is perturbed because magnetic edge dislocations are spontaneously nucleated. Such topological defects play an important role in magnetic films since they promote the in-plane magnetization reversal of stripes and, in superconductor/ferromagnet hybrids, the creation of superconducting vortex clusters. Combining magnetic force microscopy experiments and micromagnetic simulations, we investigated the motion of two classes of magnetic edge dislocations, randomly distributed in an [Formula: see text]-implanted Fe film. They were found to move in opposite directions along straight trajectories parallel to the stripes axis, when driven by a moderate dc magnetic field. Using the approximate Thiele equation, analytical expressions for the forces acting on such magnetic defects and a microscopic explanation for the direction of their motion could be obtained. Straight trajectories are related to the presence of a periodic stripe domain pattern, which imposes the gyrotropic force to vanish even if a nonzero, half-integer topological charge is carried by the defects in some layers across the film thickness.

Straightforward measurement of anisotropic thermal properties of a Bi2Se3 single crystal.

We demonstrate here a simple measurement protocol which allows the thermal properties of anisotropic crystalline materials to be determined. This protocol is validated by the measurement of Bi2Se3, a layered material consisting of covalently bonded sheets with weak van der Waals bonds between each layer, which has highly anisotropic thermal properties. Thermoreflectance microscopy measurements were carried out on a single-crystal Bi2Se3 sample, firstly on the bare sample and then after capping with a 100 nm thick gold layer. Whereas on the bare sample lateral heat diffusion is dominated by the in-plane thermal diffusivity, on the metal-capped substrate heat diffusion perpendicular to the sample surface dominates. Using a simple theoretical model, we show how this double measurement protocol allows the anisotropic thermal conductivity coefficients of bulk Bi2Se3 to be evaluated.

Magnetization dynamics of weak stripe domains in Fe-N thin films: a multi-technique complementary approach.

The resonant eigenmodes of an α'-FeN thin film characterized by weak stripe domains are investigated by Brillouin light scattering and broadband ferromagnetic resonance experiments, assisted by micromagnetic simulations. The spectrum of the dynamic eigenmodes in the presence of the weak stripes is very rich and two different families of modes can be selectively detected using different techniques or different experimental configurations. Attention is paid to the evolution of the mode frequencies and spatial profiles under the application of an external magnetic field, of variable intensity, in the direction parallel or transverse to the stripes. The different evolution of the modes with the external magnetic field is accompanied by a distinctive spatial localization in specific regions, such as the closure domains at the surface of the stripes and the bulk domains localized in the inner part of the stripes. The complementarity of BLS and FMR techniques, based on different selection rules, is found to be a fruitful tool for the study of the wealth of localized magnetic excitations generally found in nanostructures.

Low energy Ne ion beam induced-modifications of magnetic properties in MnAs thin films.

Investigations of the complex behavior of the magnetization of manganese arsenide thin films due to defects induced by irradiation of slow heavy ions are presented. In addition to the thermal hysteresis suppression already highlighted in Trassinelli et al (2014 Appl. Phys. Lett. 104 081906), we report here on new local magnetic features recorded by a magnetic force microscope at different temperatures close to the characteristic sample phase transition. Complementary measurements of the global magnetization in different conditions (applied magnetic field and temperatures) enable the film characterization to be completed. The obtained results suggest that the ion bombardment produces regions where the local mechanical constraints are significantly different from the average, promoting the local presence of magneto-structural phases far from the equilibrium. These regions could be responsible for the thermal hysteresis suppression previously reported, irradiation-induced defects acting as seeds in the phase transition.

Modeling magnetization curves in magnetic thin films with striped patterns.

In this work, we study magnetic thin films presenting magnetic stripe patterns. A fingerprint of such domains is a linear behavior of the in-plane magnetization curves below a given saturation field. We present free energy models for the in-plane magnetization curves which permit us to extract key geometrical information about the stripe patterns, such as the maximum canted angle of the magnetization and the domain wall width. As an example, we discuss in this work magnetization curves for Fe(1-x)Ga(x) magnetic films which present a stripe pattern with a period of 160 nm and we found a typical maximum canted angle of 85° and a domain wall width around 30 nm.

Epitaxial Fe films on ZnSe(001): effect of the substrate surface reconstruction on the magnetic anisotropy.

It is well known that Fe films deposited on a c(2 × 2)-reconstructed ZnSe(001) surface show a strong in-plane uniaxial magnetic anisotropy. Here, the effect of the substrate reconstruction on the magnetic anisotropy of Fe has been studied by in situ Brillouin light scattering. We found that the in-plane uniaxial anisotropy is strongly reduced for Fe films grown on a (1 × 1)-unreconstructed ZnSe substrate while the in-plane biaxial one is nearly unaffected by the substrate reconstruction. Calculations of magnetic anisotropy energies within the framework of ab initio density functional theory reveal that the strong suppression of anisotropy at the (1 × 1) interface occurs due to complex atomic relaxations as well as the competing effects originating from magnetocrystalline anisotropy and dipole-dipole interactions. For both sharp and intermixed c(2 × 2) interfaces, the magnetic anisotropy is enhanced compared to the (1 × 1) case due to the further lowering of symmetry. The theoretical results are in agreement with the experimental findings.

Lipoplatin monotherapy: A phase II trial of second-line treatment of metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer.

Lipoplatin is a liposome encapsulated form of cisplatin. phase i studies on lipoplatin have demonstrated that the compound has an excellent toxicity profile. therefore we performed a phase ii trial in heavily pre-treated patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSClC), performance status 0-2 in which the primary endpoint was response rate and secondary endpoints were safety and overall survival.Nineteen patients, average age 64 years old, with stage iV NSClC, were treated with lipoplatin 100 mg/m(2) every two weeks, as second line chemotherapy.We observed 1 partial remission (5.2%) and 3 stable diseases (15.9%). Time to progression (ttp) was 16 weeks and median overall survival (OS) was 31 weeks (7.2 months). We observed G1-G2 toxicity during chemotherapy, mainly gastrointestinal with nausea and vomiting (4 patients), asthenia (3 patients), mucositis (2 patients) and anemia (4 patients).Our phase ii study does not support a more extensive use of lipoplatin in phase III studies. An increase of dosage and a better selection of patients are mandatory to understand the real therapeutic activity of lipoplatin.

Pemetrexed plus carboplatin in elderly patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma: combined analysis of two phase II trials.

The incidence of malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) in elderly patients is increasing. In this study, pooled data from two phase II trials of pemetrexed and carboplatin (PC) as first-line therapy were retrospectively analysed for comparisons between age groups. Patients received pemetrexed 500 mg m(-2) and carboplatin AUC 5 mg ml(-1) min(-1) intravenously every 21 days with standard vitamin supplementation. Elderly patients were defined as those >or=70 years old. A total of 178 patients with an ECOG performance status of or=70 years (27%). Grade 3-4 haematological toxicity was slightly worse in >or=70 vs <70-year-old patients, with neutropenia observed in 25.0 vs 13.8% (P=0.11), anaemia in 20.8 vs 6.9% (P=0.01) and thrombocytopenia in 14.6 vs 8.5% (P=0.26). Non-haematological toxicity was mild and similar in the two groups. No significant difference was observed in terms of overall disease control (60.4 vs 66.9%, P=0.47), time to progression (7.2 vs 7.5 months, P=0.42) and survival (10.7 vs 13.9 months, P=0.12). Apart from slightly worse haematological toxicity, there was no significant difference in outcome or toxicity between age groups. The PC regimen is effective and well tolerated in selected elderly patients with MPM.

Biaxial strain in the hexagonal plane of MnAs thin films: the key to stabilize ferromagnetism to higher temperature.

The alpha-beta magnetostructural phase transition in MnAs/GaAs(111) epilayers is investigated by elastic neutron scattering. The in-plane parameter of MnAs remains almost constant with temperature from 100 to 420 K, following the thermal evolution of the GaAs substrate. This induces a temperature dependent biaxial strain that is responsible for an alpha-beta phase coexistence and, more importantly, for the stabilization of the ferromagnetic alpha phase at a higher temperature than in the bulk. We explain the premature appearance of the beta phase at 275 K and the persistence of the ferromagnetic alpha phase up to 350 K with thermodynamical arguments based on the MnAs phase diagram. It results that the biaxial strain in the hexagonal plane is the key parameter to extend the ferromagnetic phase well over room temperature.

High-dose chemotherapy with peripheral blood progenitor cell support for patients with non-small cell lung cancer: the experience of the European Group for Bone Marrow Transplantation (EBMT) Solid Tumours Working Party.

We report the experience of the EBMT Solid Tumours Working Party (STWP) using high-dose chemotherapy (HDCT) with PBPC support in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Between 1989 and 2004, 36 NSCLC patients (27 men and 9 women), median age 53.5 years (range: 24-62) were treated with 63 HDCT courses. A high-dose carboplatin-based regimen was used in 53% of the cases. Thirty-two patients had relapsed/metastatic disease, while four classified as stage IIIB received HDCT followed by radiotherapy. No treatment-related death occurred. Of 25 patients who were planned to receive multi-cycle HDCT, 4 cases (16%) interrupted the treatment early due to prolonged severe toxicities and 4 (16%) due to progressive disease. Of 36 evaluable patients, 3 (8%) achieved a complete remission and 13 (36%) had a partial remission at an overall response rate of 44%. Of these, one patient with stage IIIB and one with stage IV are alive disease free at 71+ and 149+ months, respectively. After a median follow-up of 48 months (range: 6-149), median survival was 7 months (range: 1-149). Despite one anecdotal case, HDCT did not show significant activity, but induced relevant morbidity in NSCLC patients.

Multiple cycles of PBPC-supported high-dose carboplatin and paclitaxel following mobilization with epirubicin and cisplatin are feasible but ineffective in treating patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

We verified the feasibility of a multi-cycle peripheral blood progenitor cell (PBPC)-supported high-dose chemotherapy (HDC) regimen in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The HDC regimen consisted of a single course of high-dose epirubicin given in combination with cisplatin plus filgrastim, followed by three courses of high doses of carboplatin and paclitaxel with PBPC reinfusion and filgrastim. Of the 16 enrolled patients, 13 provided an adequate number of PBPCs by a single leukapheresis, while in the three needed two procedures, with a median number of CD34+, CD34+/CD33- and CD34+/CD38- cells collected per patient was 13.5 x 10(6), 10.9 x 10(6) and 0.9 x 10(6)/kg, respectively. No toxic death occurred, and the collected PBPCs supported a rapid hematopoietic reconstitution after HDC; however, seven patients early interrupted the treatment early due to early progressive disease (n=4) or prolonged grade 3 peripheral neurotoxicity (n=3). Despite an overall response rate of 42%, the median survival for stage IV patients has been 5 months (range: 1-25+). Of two patients with stage IIIB NSCLC, one is continuously disease-free at 71+ months, while of 14 with stage IV disease, one is currently alive with disease at 25+ months. In conclusion, the combination of high-dose epirubicin with cisplatin plus filgrastim is an effective regimen in releasing large amounts of PBPCs, which can then be safely employed to support multiple courses of HDC. Multiple cycles of PBPC-supported high-dose carboplatin and paclitaxel are ineffective in treating patients with advanced NSCLC.

Unilateral retinal detachment as the initial sign of lung adenocarcinoma.

Intraocular metastases, especially to the retina, are uncommon in cancer patients and generally occur in an advanced phase of the disease. In patients with lung cancer, uveal metastases, in particular to the choroid, are the most frequent, and are associated mainly with small cell carcinoma or undifferentiated carcinoma. We report a case of unilateral retinal detachment as first sign of a moderately differentiated lung adenocarcinoma in a 55-year-old non-smoker that was admitted to the hospital for the first time complaining of a sudden visual loss in the superior fields of the left eye. A CT revealed a slight retinal enlargement of the left eye and a solid mass of about 3 centimeters behind the right pulmonary hilus. Bronchoscopic biopsies were performed with diagnosis of adenocarcinoma of the lung. The patient died after 2 months for rapid progression of the disease despite of combined chemotherapy treatment.

A randomized study comparing filgrastim versus lenograstim versus molgramostim plus chemotherapy for peripheral blood progenitor cell mobilization.

We conducted a prospective randomized clinical trial to assess the mobilizing efficacy of filgrastim, lenograstim and molgramostim following a disease-specific chemotherapy regimen. Mobilization consisted of high-dose cyclophosphamide in 45 cases (44%), and cisplatin/ifosfamide/etoposide or vinblastine in 22 (21%), followed by randomization to either filgrastim or lenograstim or molgramostim at 5 microg/kg/day. One hundred and three patients were randomized, and 82 (79%) performed apheresis. Forty-four (43%) patients were chemonaive, whereas 59 (57%) were pretreated. A median number of one apheresis per patient (range, 1-3) was performed. The median number of CD34+ cells obtained after mobilization was 8.4 x 10(6)/kg in the filgrastim arm versus 5.8 x 10(6)/kg in the lenograstim arm versus 4.0 x 10(6)/kg in the molgramostim arm (P=0.1). A statistically significant difference was observed for the median number of days of growth factor administration in favor of lenograstim (12 days) versus filgrastim (13 days) and molgramostim (14 days) (P<0.0001) and for the subgroup of chemonaive patients (12 days) versus pretreated patients (14 days) (P<0.001). In conclusion, all three growth factors were efficacious in mobilizing peripheral blood progenitor cells with no statistically significant difference between CD34+ cell yield and the different regimens, and the time to apheresis is likely confounded by the different mobilization regimens.

Generation of tumour-specific cytotoxic T-cell clones from histocompatibility leucocyte antigen-identical siblings of patients with melanoma.

Lymphodepletion and infusion of autologous expanded tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes is effective therapy for patients with malignant melanoma. Antitumour responses are likely to be mediated by HLA class I- and II-restricted immune responses directed at tumour antigens. We assessed whether the peripheral blood of normal HLA-matched siblings of patients with melanoma could be used to generate lymphocytes with antimelanoma activity for adoptive immunotherapy after allogeneic blood or marrow transplantation. Melanoma cell lines were derived from two donors and were used to stimulate the mononuclear cells of three HLA-identical siblings. CD4(+) clones dominated cultures. Of these, approximately half were directly cytotoxic towards recipient melanoma cells and secreted interferon-gamma in response to tumour stimulation. More than half of the noncytotoxic clones also secreted interferon-gamma after melanoma stimulation. No CD4(+) clones responded to stimulation with recipient haemopoietic cells. The majority of CD8(+) clones directly lysed recipient melanoma, but did not persist in long-term culture in vitro. No crossreactivity with recipient haemopoietic cells was observed. The antigenic target of one CD4(+) clone was determined to be an HLA-DR11-restricted MAGE-3 epitope. Antigenic targets of the remaining clones were not elucidated, but appeared to be restricted through a non-HLA-DR class II molecule. We conclude that the blood of allogeneic HLA-matched sibling donors contains melanoma-reactive lymphocyte precursors directed at tumour-associated antigens. Adoptive immunotherapy with unselected or ex vivo-stimulated donor lymphocytes after allogeneic stem cell transplantation has a rational basis for the treatment of malignant melanoma.

Pemetrexed and malignant pleural mesothelioma.

Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma (MPM) continues to be a challenging problem; because few patients may be treated with radical surgery and conventional chemotherapy have achieved very dismal results. Pemetrexed is a new drug with multitarget antifolate activity which seems to be particularly active in many solid tumors and also in MPM. The principal clinical experiences of pemetrexed alone or in combination with other compounds, chiefly platinum and its derivative, are reported. The Italian study on 1114 cases of MPM treated over 30 months is discussed and the definitive results will be available after a complete external review of all responsive patients.