Non-reciprocity in magnon mediated charge-spin-orbital current interconversion

Abstract

In magnetic systems, angular momentum is carried by spin and orbital degrees of freedom. Nonlocal devices, comprising heavy-metal nanowires on magnetic insulators like yttrium iron garnet (YIG), enable angular momentum transport via magnons. These magnons are polarized by spin accumulation at the interface through the spin Hall effect (SHE) and detected via the inverse SHE (iSHE). The processes are generally reciprocal, as demonstrated by comparable efficiencies when reversing injector and detector roles. However, introducing Ru, which enables the orbital Hall effect (OHE), disrupts this reciprocity. In our system, magnons polarized through combined SHE and OHE and detected via iSHE are 35% more efficient than the reverse process. We attribute this nonreciprocity to nonzero spin vorticity, resulting from varying electron drift velocities across the Pt/Ru interface. This study highlights the potential of orbital transport mechanisms in influencing angular momentum transport and efficiency in nonlocal spintronic devices.