Observing Differential Spin Currents by Resonant Inelastic X-ray Scattering

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Gu, Yanhong, Barker, Joseph, Li, Jiemin, Kikkawa, Takashi, Camino, Fernando, Kisslinger, Kim, Sinsheimer, John, Lienhard, Lukas, Bauer, Jackson J., Ross, Caroline A., Basov, Dmitri N., Saitoh, Eiji, Pelliciari, Jonathan, Bauer, Gerrit E. W., Bisogni, Valentina
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Gu, Yanhong
Barker, Joseph
Li, Jiemin
Kikkawa, Takashi
Camino, Fernando
Kisslinger, Kim
Sinsheimer, John
Lienhard, Lukas
Bauer, Jackson J.
Ross, Caroline A.
Basov, Dmitri N.
Saitoh, Eiji
Pelliciari, Jonathan
Bauer, Gerrit E. W.
Bisogni, Valentina
author_facet Gu, Yanhong
Barker, Joseph
Li, Jiemin
Kikkawa, Takashi
Camino, Fernando
Kisslinger, Kim
Sinsheimer, John
Lienhard, Lukas
Bauer, Jackson J.
Ross, Caroline A.
Basov, Dmitri N.
Saitoh, Eiji
Pelliciari, Jonathan
Bauer, Gerrit E. W.
Bisogni, Valentina
contents Controlling spin currents, i.e., the flow of spin angular momentum, in small magnetic devices is the principal objective of spin electronics, a main contender for future energy efficient information technologies. Surprisingly, a pure spin current has never been measured directly since the associated electric stray fields and/or shifts in the non-equilibrium spin-dependent distribution functions are too small for conventional experimental detection methods optimized for charge transport. Here we report that resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS) can bridge this gap by measuring the spin current carried by magnons -- the quanta of the spin wave excitations of the magnetic order -- in the presence of temperature gradients across a magnetic insulator. This is possible due to the sensitivity of the momentum- and energy-resolved RIXS intensity to minute changes in the magnon distribution under non-equilibrium conditions. We use the Boltzmann equation in the relaxation time approximation to extract transport parameters, such as the magnon lifetime at finite momentum, essential for the realization of magnon spintronics.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2508_05796
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Observing Differential Spin Currents by Resonant Inelastic X-ray Scattering
Gu, Yanhong
Barker, Joseph
Li, Jiemin
Kikkawa, Takashi
Camino, Fernando
Kisslinger, Kim
Sinsheimer, John
Lienhard, Lukas
Bauer, Jackson J.
Ross, Caroline A.
Basov, Dmitri N.
Saitoh, Eiji
Pelliciari, Jonathan
Bauer, Gerrit E. W.
Bisogni, Valentina
Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics
Materials Science
Strongly Correlated Electrons
Controlling spin currents, i.e., the flow of spin angular momentum, in small magnetic devices is the principal objective of spin electronics, a main contender for future energy efficient information technologies. Surprisingly, a pure spin current has never been measured directly since the associated electric stray fields and/or shifts in the non-equilibrium spin-dependent distribution functions are too small for conventional experimental detection methods optimized for charge transport. Here we report that resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS) can bridge this gap by measuring the spin current carried by magnons -- the quanta of the spin wave excitations of the magnetic order -- in the presence of temperature gradients across a magnetic insulator. This is possible due to the sensitivity of the momentum- and energy-resolved RIXS intensity to minute changes in the magnon distribution under non-equilibrium conditions. We use the Boltzmann equation in the relaxation time approximation to extract transport parameters, such as the magnon lifetime at finite momentum, essential for the realization of magnon spintronics.
title Observing Differential Spin Currents by Resonant Inelastic X-ray Scattering
topic Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics
Materials Science
Strongly Correlated Electrons
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2508.05796