Microwave power generated by a spin-torque oscillator in the presence of noise

Abstract

An expression for the microwave power generated by a spin-torque oscillator in the presence of thermal noise is derived. This expression, when used in a subcritical regime, demonstrates that generated power is determined by the noise level and provides a simple way to experimentally determine the threshold current for microwave generation. The same expression gives a good quantitative description of the experimentally measured dependence of the generated power on the bias current in a moderate super-critical range of bias current variation.