Coherent Spin Pumping Originated from Sub-Terahertz N\'eel Vector Dynamics in Easy Plane {\alpha}-Fe2O3/Pt

TL;DR

This study demonstrates coherent spin pumping from sub-terahertz Ne9el vector dynamics in b5-Fe2O3/Pt heterostructures, revealing the role of excitation modes and orientation rules in spin-to-charge conversion.

Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis of spin pumping mechanisms in antiferromagnetic b5-Fe2O3/Pt, clarifying the conditions for optical and acoustic mode excitation and addressing previous conflicting reports.

Findings

Spin pumping occurs via both acoustic and optical modes under specific orientation conditions.

Optical spin pumping vanishes in thin films, likely due to inhomogeneities or insufficient thickness.

The results support existing models of spin mixing conductance in antiferromagnetic interfaces.

Abstract

We present a thorough study of spin-to-charge current interconversion in bulk and thin films of (0001) {\alpha}-Fe2O3 /Pt heterostructures by means of all-optical polarization-controlled microwave excitation at sub-Terahertz frequencies. Our results demonstrate that coherent spin pumping is generated through excitations of both the acoustic and optical modes of antiferromagnetic resonance, provided that the corresponding selection rules are met for the relative orientation between the microwave magnetic field h_ac and the magnetic moment m_0 of the Hematite. In particular, our results unanimously show that while a microwave field with h_ac perpendicular to m_0 pumps a net spin angular momentum from the acoustic mode, spin pumping from the optical mode is only enabled when h_ac parallel to m_0, as expected from the selection rules imposed by the Neel vector dynamics. Our results support the current understanding of spin mixing conductance in antiferromagnetic/non-magnetic interfaces, contrary to recent reports where the absence of spin pumping from the optical mode in Hematite was interpreted as a cancellation effect between the diagonal and off-diagonal components of the spin mixing conductance. We also provide an explanation for the previously reported observations and show how the optical spin pumping actually vanishes for thin films, which we speculate being either due to an increased level of inhomogeneities or to insufficient film thickness for the optical mode to fully realize.