No Arabic abstract
In this work we present the results of an experiment to locally resolve the spin Seebeck effect in a high-quality Pt/YIG sample. We achieve this by employing a locally heated scanning thermal probe to generate a highly local non-equilibrium spin current. To support our experimental results, we also present a model based on the non-equilibrium thermodynamic approach which is in a good agreement with experimental findings. To further corroborate our results, we index the locally resolved spin Seebeck effect with that of the local magnetisation texture by MFM and correlate corresponding regions. We hypothesise that this technique allows imaging of magnetisation textures within the magnon diffusion length and hence characterisation of spin caloritronic materials at the nanoscale.
Magnetic microscopy that combines nanoscale spatial resolution with picosecond scale temporal resolution uniquely enables direct observation of the spatiotemporal magnetic phenomena that are relevant to future high-speed, high-density magnetic storage and logic technologies. Magnetic microscopes that combine these metrics has been limited to facility-level instruments. To address this gap in lab-accessible spatiotemporal imaging, we develop a time-resolved near-field magnetic microscope based on magneto-thermal interactions. We demonstrate both magnetization and current density imaging modalities, each with spatial resolution that far surpasses the optical diffraction limit. In addition, we study the near-field and time-resolved characteristics of our signal and find that our instrument possesses a spatial resolution on the scale of 100 nm and a temporal resolution below 100 ps. Our results demonstrate an accessible and comparatively low-cost approach to nanoscale spatiotemporal magnetic microscopy in a table-top form to aid the science and technology of dynamic magnetic devices with complex spin textures.
Scanning superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) microscopy is a magnetic imaging technique combining high-field sensitivity with nanometer-scale spatial resolution. State-of-the-art SQUID-on-tip probes are now playing an important role in mapping correlation phenomena, such as superconductivity and magnetism, which have recently been observed in two-dimensional van der Waals materials. Here, we demonstrate a scanning probe that combines the magnetic and thermal imaging provided by an on-tip SQUID with the tip-sample distance control and topographic contrast of a non-contact atomic force microscope (AFM). We pattern the nanometer-scale SQUID, including its weak-link Josephson junctions, via focused ion beam milling at the apex of a cantilever coated with Nb, yielding a sensor with an effective diameter of 365 nm, field sensitivity of 9.5 $text{nT}/sqrt{text{Hz}}$ and thermal sensitivity of 620 $text{nK}/sqrt{text{Hz}}$, operating in magnetic fields up to 1.0 T. The resulting SQUID-on-lever is a robust AFM-like scanning probe that expands the reach of sensitive nanometer-scale magnetic and thermal imaging beyond what is currently possible.
Local variations in the Seebeck coefficient in low-dimensional materials-based nanostructures and devices play a major role in their thermoelectric performance. Unfortunately, currently most thermoelectric measurements probe the aggregate characteristics of the device as a whole, failing to observe the effects of the local variations and internal structure. Such variations can be caused by local defects, geometry, electrical contacts or interfaces and often substantially influence thermoelectric properties, most profoundly in two-dimensional (2D) materials. Here, we use Scanning Thermal Gate Microscopy (STGM), a non-invasive method not requiring an electrical contact between the nanoscale tip and the probed sample, to obtain nanoscale resolution 2D maps of the thermovoltage in graphene samples. We investigate a junction formed between single-layer and bilayer graphene and identify the impact of internal strain and Fermi level pinning by the contacts using a deconvolution method to directly map the local Seebeck coefficient. The new approach paves the way for an in-depth understanding of thermoelectric behaviour and phenomena in 2D materials nanostructures and devices.
The angular dependence of the thermal transport in insulating or conducting ferromagnets is derived on the basis of the Onsager reciprocity relations applied to a magnetic system. It is shown that the angular dependence of the temperature gradient takes the same form as that of the anisotropic magnetoresistance, including anomalous and planar Hall contributions. The measured thermocouple generated between the extremities of the non-magnetic electrode in thermal contact to the ferromagnet follows this same angular dependence. The sign and amplitude of the magneto-voltaic signal is controlled by the difference of the Seebeck coefficients of the thermocouple.
We report time-resolved magneto-optic Kerr effect measurements of the longitudinal spin Seebeck effect driven by an interfacial temperature difference between itinerant electrons and magnons. The measured time-evolution of spin accumulation induced by laser-excitation indicates transfer of angular momentum across Au/Y$_3$Fe$_5$O$_{12}$ and Cu/Y$_3$Fe$_5$O$_{12}$ interfaces on a picosecond time-scale. The product of spin-mixing conductance and interfacial spin Seebeck coefficient determined is of the order of $10^8$ A m$^{-2}$ K$^{-1}$.