Spin-Seebeck Signatures of Spin Chirality in Kagome Antiferromagnets

Abstract

Non-collinear antiferromagnets (NCAFMs) are appealing for antiferromagnetic spintronics, as they combine the advantages of collinear antiferromagnets with novel emergent phenomena stemming from their complex spin structures. These phenomena are often associated with the intrinsic spin chirality, which characterizes the handedness of the ground-state spin configuration. Non-collinear antiferromagnets (NCAFMs) are appealing for antiferromagnetic spintronics, as they combine the advantages of collinear antiferromagnets with novel emergent phenomena stemming from their complex spin structures. These phenomena are often associated with the intrinsic spin chirality, which characterizes the handedness of the ground-state spin configuration. Here, we investigate a kagome NCAFM interfaced with a normal metal and demonstrate that the ground-state vector spin chirality can be probed through measurements of the spin Seebeck effect (SSE). Starting from a microscopic spin Hamiltonian, we derive the corresponding bosonic Bogoliubov-de Gennes Hamiltonians for the two chiral configurations. Using linear response theory, we obtain a general expression for the spin current thermally pumped into the normal metal by the SSE. We show that a sizable in-plane spin current emerges exclusively in the negative-chiral state, providing a direct signature for real-time detection of chirality switching in kagome NCAFMs. In addition, we find a field-dependent out-of-plane spin current whose magnitude differs between the two chiralities by about 81%, reflecting their distinct magnon band structures.