Recently, Professor Liu Yan from the Department of Physics of College of Science, NEU published a paper on internationally renowned journal Science, titled Subterahertz Spin Pumping from an Insulating Antiferromagnet as a co-author.
Professor Liu Yan, as the co-author, was responsible for the theoretical interpretation of the paper, which was completed in collaboration with Professor Enrique Del Barco for the Department of Physics of University of Central Florida.
The antiferromagnet has an oscillation frequency in the order of terahertz compared to that of the ferromagnetic material in the order of gigahertz, which gives the antiferromagnet a natural advantage in the generation, detection and modulation of ultra-high frequency signals. However, since the antiferromagnet is difficult to detect because it usually displays a state of zero net magnetic moment. The paper provides a method for detecting the antiferromagnetic oscillation signal by combining the anti-ferromagnetic spin pumping effect with the anti-spin Hall effect, and experimentally measures the spin current produced by an insulating antiferromagnet MnF2 under the effect of the high-frequency polarized microwave field. Their results not only verify the theoretical prediction of the existence of subterahertz spin pumping from an insulating antiferromagnet, but also open the door to the generation of spin current at terahertz frequencies.
Link to the Paper: https://science.sciencemag.org/content/368/6487/160
