Cavity resonator for circularly polarized microwave irradiation mounted on a cryostat

We have constructed a cylindrical cavity resonator with a hybrid coupler where circularly polarized microwaves can be irradiated to a sample. The polarity of the microwave can be switched by changing the input ports of the hybrid coupler. The cavity resonator is small enough to be mounted on a cryostat which enables us to change the sample temperature in a wide range. To demonstrate the performance of the cavity resonator mounted on a cryostat, Yttrium Iron Garnet (YIG) was used as a test sample. We succeeded in selectively exciting left and right circularly polarized modes with high polarization (>80%). We also evaluated the susceptibility tensor of YIG in the cryostat. The technique presented here would offer a new direction in the fields of spintronics and quantum information. Published under license by AIP Publishing.