No Arabic abstract
Temperature-dependent spin-Seebeck effect data on Pt|YIG (Y$_3$Fe$_5$O$_{12}$)|GGG (Gd$_3$Ga$_5$O$_{12}$) are reported for YIG films of various thicknesses. The effect is reported as a spin-Seebeck resistivity (SSR), the inverse spin-Hall field divided by the heat flux, to circumvent uncertainties about temperature gradients inside the films. The SSR is a non-monotonic function of YIG thickness. A diffusive model for magnon transport demonstrates how these data give evidence for the existence of two distinct length scales in thermal spin transport, a spin diffusion length and a magnon energy relaxation length.
The nonlocal transport of thermally generated magnons not only unveils the underlying mechanism of the spin Seebeck effect, but also allows for the extraction of the magnon relaxation length ($lambda_m$) in a magnetic material, the average distance over which thermal magnons can propagate. In this study, we experimentally explore in yttrium iron garnet (YIG)/platinum systems much further ranges compared with previous investigations. We observe that the nonlocal SSE signals at long distances ($d$) clearly deviate from a typical exponential decay. Instead, they can be dominated by the nonlocal generation of magnon accumulation as a result of the temperature gradient present away from the heater, and decay geometrically as $1/d^2$. We emphasize the importance of looking only into the exponential regime (i.e., the intermediate distance regime) to extract $lambda_m$. With this principle, we study $lambda_m$ as a function of temperature in two YIG films which are 2.7 and 50 $mu$m in thickness, respectively. We find $lambda_m$ to be around 15 $mu$m at room temperature and it increases to 40 $mu$m at $T=$ 3.5 K. Finite element modeling results agree with experimental studies qualitatively, showing also a geometrical decay beyond the exponential regime. Based on both experimental and modeling results we put forward a general guideline for extracting $lambda_m$ from the nonlocal spin Seebeck effect.
Sharp structures in magnetic field-dependent spin Seebeck effect (SSE) voltages of Pt/Y$_{3}$Fe$_{5}$O$_{12}$ (YIG) at low temperatures are attributed to the magnon-phonon interaction. Experimental results are well reproduced by a Boltzmann theory that includes the magnetoelastic coupling (MEC). The SSE anomalies coincide with magnetic fields tuned to the threshold of magnon-polaron formation. The effect gives insight into the relative quality of the lattice and magnetization dynamics.
The spin-Seebeck effect (SSE) in ferromagnetic metals and insulators has been investigated systematically by means of the inverse spin-Hall effect (ISHE) in paramagnetic metals. The SSE generates a spin voltage as a result of a temperature gradient in a ferromagnet, which injects a spin current into an attached paramagnetic metal. In the paramagnet, this spin current is converted into an electric field due to the ISHE, enabling the electric detection of the SSE. The observation of the SSE is performed in longitudinal and transverse configurations consisting of a ferromagnet/paramagnet hybrid structure, where thermally generated spin currents flowing parallel and perpendicular to the temperature gradient are detected, respectively. Our results explain the SSE in terms of a two-step process: (1) the temperature gradient creates a non-equilibrium state in the ferromagnet governed by both magnon and phonon propagations and (2) the non-equilibrium between magnons in the ferromagnet and electrons in the paramagnet at the contact interface leads to thermal spin pumping and the ISHE signal. The non-equilibrium state of metallic magnets (e.g. Ni81Fe19) under a temperature gradient is governed mainly by the phonons in the sample and the substrate, while in insulating magnets (e.g. Y3Fe5O12) both magnon and phonon propagations appear to be important. The phonon-mediated non-equilibrium that drives the thermal spin pumping is confirmed also by temperature-dependent measurements, giving rise to a giant enhancement of the SSE signals at low temperatures.
Investigating exotic magnetic materials with spintronic techniques is effective at advancing magnetism as well as spintronics. In this work, we report unusual field-induced suppression of the spin-Seebeck effect (SSE) in a quasi one-dimensional frustrated spin-$frac{1}{2}$ magnet LiCuVO$_4$, known to exhibit spin-nematic correlation in a wide range of external magnetic field $B$. The suppression takes place above $|B| > 2$ T in spite of the $B$-linear isothermal magnetization curves in the same $B$ range. The result can be attributed to the growth of the spin-nematic correlation while increasing $B$. The correlation stabilizes magnon pairs carrying spin-2, thereby suppressing the interfacial spin injection of SSE by preventing the spin-1 exchange between single magnons and conduction electrons at the interface. This interpretation is supported by integrating thermodynamic measurements and theoretical analysis on the SSE.
We report the observation of anomalous peak structures induced by hybridized magnon-phonon excitation (magnon polarons) in the magnetic field dependence of the spin Peltier effect (SPE) in a Lu$_{2}$Bi$_{1}$Fe$_{4}$Ga$_{1}$O$_{12}$ (BiGa:LuIG) with Pt contact. The SPE peaks coincide with magnetic fields tuned to the threshold of magnon-polaron formation, consistent with the previous observation in the spin Seebeck effect. The enhancement of SPE is attributed to the lifetime increase in spin current caused by magnon-phonon hybridization in BiGa:LuIG.