Effects of surface plasmons on spin currents in a thin film system
arXiv:2002.05813 · doi:10.1088/1367-2630/ab764c
Abstract
We propose and analyze surface-plasmon-driven electron spin currents in a thin metallic film. The electron gas in the metal follows the transversally rotating electric fields of the surface plasmons (SPs), which leads to a static magnetization gradient. We consider herein SPs in a thin-film insulator-metal-insulator structure and solve the spin diffusion equation in the presence of a magnetization gradient. The results reveal that the SPs at the metal interfaces generate spin currents in the metallic film. For thinner film, the SPs become strongly hybridized, which increases the magnetization gradient and enhances the spin current. We also discuss how the spin current depends on SP wavelength and the spin-diffusion length of the metal. The polarization of the spin current can be controlled by tuning the wavelength of the SPs and/or the spin diffusion length.
arXiv commentAccepted for publication in New J. Phys
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- Transverse spin angular momentum of space-time surface plasmon polariton wave packet
- Designing rotational motion of charges on plasmonic nanostructures excited by circularly polarized light
- Motion-induced spin transfer
- Energy and momentum of the surface plasmon-polariton supported by a thin metal film
- Spin Current Generation by a Surface Plasmon Polariton