  We study, both experimentally and by numerical modeling, the magnetic
dynamics that can be excited in a magnetic thin-film nanopillar device using
the spin torque from a spatially localized current injected via a
10s-of-nm-diameter aperture. The current-driven magnetic dynamics can produce
large amplitude microwave emission at zero magnetic field, with a frequency
well below that of the uniform ferromagnetic resonance mode. Micromagnetic
simulations indicate that the physical origin of this efficient microwave
nano-oscillator is the nucleation and subsequent steady-state rotational
dynamics of a magnetic vortex dipole driven by the localized spin torque. These
results show this novel implementation of a spintronic nano-oscillator is a
promising candidate for microwave technology applications.
