Antiferromagnetic spin pumping via hyperfine interaction

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that hyperfine interaction between nuclear spins and conduction electrons can mediate spin pumping across interfaces, revealing a new mechanism involving nuclear magnetic moments in ferromagnetic/non-magnetic metal systems.

Contribution

It introduces a novel spin pumping mechanism mediated by hyperfine interaction between nuclear spins and conduction electrons, expanding understanding beyond exchange interactions.

Findings

Hyperfine interaction can mediate spin pumping.

Spin polarization depends on nuclear magnetic moments.

The spin current polarization has a similar form to traditional spin pumping.

Abstract

Spin pumping is an interfacial spin current generation from the ferromagnetic layer to the non-magnetic metal at its interface. The polarization of the pumped spin current $\textbf{J}_s \propto \textbf{m}\times \dot{\textbf{m}}$ depends on the dynamics of the magnetic moment $\textbf{m}$. When the materials are based on light transition metals, mechanism behind the spin current transfer is dominated by the exchange interaction between spin of localized d-electrons and itinerant conduction electrons. In heavier transition metals, however, the interaction is not limited to the exchange interaction. The spin of the conduction electron can interact to its nuclear spin by means of hyperfine interaction, as observed in the shift of NMR frequency. By studying the spin polarization of conduction electron of the non-magnetic metallic layer due to a nuclear magnetic moment $\textbf{I}$ of the ferromagnetic layer, we show that the hyperfine interaction can mediate the spin pumping. The polarization of the spin current generation is shown to have a similar form $J_s\propto \textbf{I}\times\dot{\textbf{I}}$.