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Spin orbitronics

Charges ride the spin wave

Nature Nanotechnology volume 10, pages 22–24 (2015)Cite this article

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An alternating charge current pumped by the precessing magnetization of a ferromagnet demonstrates the direct conversion of magnons into charge currents via relativistic spin–orbit coupling.

Electrons carry charge and spin. Therefore, moving electrons can create both charge currents and spin currents. Pure charge currents are the basis of electronics and are well understood. More recently, the creation, manipulation and use of spin currents has become a focus of research. Charge and spin degrees of freedom are tied to each other by the spin–orbit coupling, which is a relativistic effect that links the spin and orbital angular momentum of the electrons. Charge currents can thus act on the spin of the electrons, and create spin currents and/or spin accumulation, allowing electrical manipulation of the magnetic state of matter. One prominent example of such manipulation is the spin–orbit torque1 (SOT), where a charge current induces a net spin moment that can exert a torque on the magnetization. For each action of a charge current on the electron spin, there is a counterpart: that is, a flow of spins can generate a charge current. Now, in Nature Nanotechnology, Arne Brataas and colleagues report the inverse effect of SOT — a flow of net magnetic moment (spins) induced by a precessing magnetization that produces a charge current or an open circuit voltage2. This effect is called magnonic charge pumping.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Timo Kuschel and Günter Reiss are in the Department of Physics, Center of Spintronic Materials and Devices, University of Bielefeld, PO Box 100131, D-33501 Bielefeld, Germany,

    Timo Kuschel & Günter Reiss

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  1. Timo Kuschel
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  2. Günter Reiss
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Correspondence to Günter Reiss.

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Kuschel, T., Reiss, G. Charges ride the spin wave. Nature Nanotech 10, 22–24 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/nnano.2014.279

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