Controlling coupled magnons with pumps

Abstract Strong coupling effects in magnonic systems are highly promising. They combine the advantages of different quasiparticles and enable energy transfer for coherent information processing. When driven by microwave, electric, or optical pumps, these coupling effects can give rise to intriguing nonlinear phenomena, which have become a focal point in the field of magnonics. This review systematically explores pump-engineered magnon-coupling systems from three perspectives: (1) pump-induced hybridization of magnon modes, (2) nonlinear manipulation of magnon dynamics, and (3) implementation of functional magnonic devices. Unlike conventional cavity–magnon interactions that are constrained by electromagnetic boundaries, pumped coupled magnons are liberated from these restrictions. They can operate over a broad frequency band rather than being confined to discrete modes. An example is the recently discovered pump-induced magnon mode (PIM). These magnons arise from the collective excitations of unsaturated spins driven by microwave pumps. They exhibit reduced damping and photon-number-sensitive splitting characteristics, facilitating waveform-controlled coupling strength and enhanced nonlinearity — features that support phenomena such as magnonic frequency combs (MFCs). By expanding this principle to electric pumping schemes, we bridge fundamental physics and practical device applications, enabling nonreciprocal switching and meter-scale strong coupling. These advances establish high-dimensional control capabilities for coupled magnonics and pave the way for their use as a promising platform for dynamically programmable devices, magnetic-field sensing, and coherent networks.