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  • Coherent ac spin current tr...
    Li, Q; Yang, M; Klewe, C; Shafer, P; N'Diaye, A T; Hou, D; Wang, T Y; Gao, N; Saitoh, E; Hwang, C; Hicken, R J; Li, J; Arenholz, E; Qiu, Z Q

    Nature communications, 11/2019, Volume: 10, Issue: 1
    Journal Article

    The recent discovery of spin current transmission through antiferromagnetic insulating materials opens up vast opportunities for fundamental physics and spintronics applications. The question currently surrounding this topic is: whether and how could THz antiferromagnetic magnons mediate a GHz spin current? This mismatch of frequencies becomes particularly critical for the case of coherent ac spin current, raising the fundamental question of whether a GHz ac spin current can ever keep its coherence inside an antiferromagnetic insulator and so drive the spin precession of another ferromagnet layer coherently? Utilizing element- and time-resolved x-ray pump-probe measurements on Py/Ag/CoO/Ag/Fe Co /MgO(001) heterostructures, here we demonstrate that a coherent GHz ac spin current pumped by the Py ferromagnetic resonance can transmit coherently across an antiferromagnetic CoO insulating layer to drive a coherent spin precession of the Fe Co layer. Further measurement results favor thermal magnons rather than evanescent spin waves as the mediator of the coherent ac spin current in CoO.