Observation of the spin Seebeck effect in epitaxial Fe3O4 thin films

TL;DR

This paper reports the first experimental detection of the spin Seebeck effect in epitaxial Fe3O4 thin films, distinguishing it from other thermoelectric effects and analyzing its behavior across the Verwey transition.

Contribution

It provides the first experimental observation of the spin Seebeck effect in magnetite thin films and clarifies the contributions of different thermoelectric effects.

Findings

Spin Seebeck effect observed in Fe3O4 thin films.

The effect dominates below the Verwey transition.

ANE contribution is negligible above the Verwey transition.

Abstract

We report the first experimental observation of the spin Seebeck effect in magnetite thin films. The signal observed at temperatures above the Verwey transition is a contribution from both the anomalous Nernst (ANE) and spin Seebeck effects (SSE). The contribution from the ANE of the Fe3O4 layer to the SSE is found to be negligible due to the resistivity difference between Fe3O4 and Pt layers. Below the Verwey transition the SSE is free from the ANE of the ferromagnetic layer and it is also found to dominate over the ANE due to magnetic proximity effect on the Pt layer.