Quantum-classical description of spin and charge pumping by dynamical noncolliner magnetic textures and the ensuing electromagnetic radiation in THz spintronics

ORAL · Invited

Abstract

The interaction of femtosecond (fs) light pulses with magnetic materials has been intensely studied for more than two decades to understand ultrafast demagnetization in single magnetic layer or THz emission from their bilayers with nonmagnetic spin-orbit (SO) materials. Despite long history, microscopic understanding of ultrafast-light-driven magnets is incomplete due to numerous competing effects and with virtually no study reporting calculation of output THz radiation. This talk presents a recently developed and versatile multiscale quantum-classical formalism where conduction electrons are described by quantum master equation [1] of the Lindblad type or by time-dependent nonequilibrium Green's functions [2-8]; classical dynamics of local magnetization is described by the Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert (LLG) equation; and incoming light is described by classical vector potential while outgoing electromagnetic radiation is computed using the Jefimenko equations for retarded electric and magnetic fields [1]. We illustrate it by application to ultrafast-light-driven bilayer of Weyl antiferromagnet Mn3Sn with noncollinear local magnetization and SO coupling intrinsically present within Mn3Sn layer [1] which pumps charge current emitting THz radiation; as well as on magnetic-field driven annihilation of two topological solitons [8], realized as magnetic domain walls within a metallic ferromagnetic nanowire, which leads to spin wave burst observed experimentally [9], as well as our prediction [8] of additional spin pumping over ultrabroadband 0.03-27 THz frequency range and potentially electromagnetic radiation in the same range upon spin-to-charge conversion.

* This research was primarily supported by the US National Science Foundation through grants ECCS 1922689, CHE 1566074 and DMR2011824 (University of Delaware Materials Research Science and Engineering Center). The supercomputing time was provided by DARWIN (Delaware Advanced Research Workforce and Innovation Network), which is supported by NSF Grant No. MRI-1919839.

Publication: [1] A. Suresh and B. K. Nikolić, Quantum classical approach to spin and charge pumping and the ensuing radiation in terahertz spintronics: Example of the ultrafast light-driven Weyl antiferromagnet Mn3Sn, Phys. Rev. B 107, 174421 (2023).
[2] M. Petrović, B. S. Popescu, U. Bajpai, P. Plecháč, and B. K. Nikolić, Spin and charge pumping by current-driven magnetic domain wall motion: A self-consistent multiscale time-dependent quantum-classical hybrid approach, Phys. Rev. Applied 10, 054038 (2018).
[3] U. Bajpai and B. K. Nikolić, Time-retarded damping and magnetic inertia in the Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert equation self-consistently coupled to electronic time-dependent nonequilibrium Green functions, Phys. Rev. B 99, 134409 (2019).
[4] U. Bajpai and B. K. Nikolić, Spintronics meets nonadiabatic molecular dynamics: Geometric spin torque and damping on dynamical classical magnetic texture due to an electronic open quantum system, Phys. Rev. Lett. 125, 187202 (2020).
[5] A. Suresh, U. Bajpai, and B. K. Nikolić, Magnon-driven chiral charge and spin pumping and electron-magnon scattering from time-dependent quantum transport combined with classical atomistic spin dynamics, Phys. Rev. B 101, 214412 (2020).
[6] A. Suresh, M. D. Petrović, U. Bajpai, H. Yang, and B. K. Nikolić, Magnon- versus electron-mediated spin-transfer torque exerted by spin current across an antiferromagnetic insulator to switch the magnetization of an adjacent ferromagnetic metal, Phys. Rev. Applied 15, 034089 (2021).
[7] F. Reyes-Osorio and B. K. Nikolić, Gilbert damping in metallic ferromagnets from Schwinger-Keldysh field theory: Intrinsically nonlocal and nonuniform, and made anisotropic by spin-orbit coupling, arXiv:2306.13013 (2023).
[8] M. D. Petrović, U. Bajpai, P. Plecháč, and B. K. Nikolić, Annihilation of topological solitons in magnetism with spin wave burst finale: The role of nonequilibrium electrons causing nonlocal damping and spin pumping over ultrabroadband frequency range, Phys. Rev. B 104, L020407 (2021).
[9] S. Woo, T. Delaney, and G. S. D. Beach, Magnetic domain wall depinning assisted by spin wave bursts, Nat. Phys. 13, 448 (2017).

Presenters

  • Branislav K Nikolic

    University of Delaware

Authors

  • Branislav K Nikolic

    University of Delaware