Spin-voltage-driven efficient terahertz spin currents from the magnetic Weyl semimetals Co${}_2$MnGa and Co${}_2$MnAl

Abstract

Magnetic Weyl semimetals are an emerging material class that combines magnetic order and a topologically non-trivial band structure. Here, we study ultrafast optically driven spin injection from thin films of the magnetic Weyl semimetals Co${}_2$MnGa and Co${}_2$MnAl into an adjacent Pt layer by means of terahertz emission spectroscopy. We find that (i) Co${}_2$MnGa and Co${}_2$MnAl are efficient terahertz spin-current generators reaching efficiencies of typical 3d-transition-metal ferromagnets such as Fe. (ii) The relaxation of the spin current provides an estimate of the electron-spin relaxation time of Co${}_2$MnGa (165 fs) and Co${}_2$MnAl (102 fs), which is comparable to Fe (92 fs). Both observations are consistent with a simple analytical model and highlight the large potential of magnetic Weyl semimetals as spin-current sources in terahertz spintronic devices. Finally, our results provide a strategy to identify magnetic materials that provide maximum spin current amplitudes for a given deposited optical energy density.