Observation of Magnon Polarization

Y. Nambu, J. Barker, Y. Okino, T. Kikkawa, Y. Shiomi, M. Enderle, T. Weber, B. Winn, M. Graves-Brook, J. M. Tranquada, T. Ziman, M. Fujita, G. E.W. Bauer, E. Saitoh, K. Kakurai

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

39 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

We measure the mode-resolved direction of the precessional motion of the magnetic order, i.e., magnon polarization, via the chiral term of inelastic polarized neutron scattering spectra. The magnon polarization is a unique and unambiguous signature of magnets and is important in spintronics, affecting thermodynamic properties such as the magnitude and sign of the spin Seebeck effect. However, it has never been directly measured in any material until this work. The observation of both signs of magnon polarization in Y3Fe5O12 also gives direct proof of its ferrimagnetic nature. The experiments agree very well with atomistic simulations of the scattering cross section.

Original languageEnglish
Article number027201
JournalPhysical review letters
Volume125
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2020 Jul 10
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Physics and Astronomy(all)

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