Spin-polarized hot electron transport versus spin pumping mediated by local heating

Abstract

A `toy model' - aimed at capturing the essential physics - is presented that jointly describes spin-polarized hot electron transport and spin pumping driven by local heating. These two processes both contribute to spin-current generation in laser-excited magnetic heterostructures. The model is used to compare the two contributions directly. The spin-polarized hot electron current is modeled as one generation of hot electrons with a spin-dependent excitation and relaxation scheme. Upon decay, the excess energy of the hot electrons is transferred to a thermalized electron bath. The elevated electron temperature leads to an increased rate of electron-magnon scattering processes and yields a local accumulation of spin. This process is dubbed as spin pumping by local heating. The built-up spin accumulation is effectively driven out of the ferromagnetic system by (interfacial) electron transport. Within our model, the injected spin current is dominated by the contribution resulting from spin pumping, while the hot electron spin current remains relatively small. We derive that this observation is related to the ratio between the Fermi temperature and Curie temperature, and we show what other fundamental parameters play a role.

References in corpus (5)

• Super-Diffusive Spin-Transport as a Mechanism of Ultrafast Demagnetization
• Driving ferromagnets into a critical region of a magnetic phase diagram
• $s$-$d$ model for local and nonlocal spin dynamics in laser-excited magnetic heterostructures
• Modeling ultrafast demagnetization and spin transport: the interplay of spin-polarized electrons and thermal magnons
• Probing optical spin-currents using THz spin-waves in noncollinear magnetic bilayers

Cited by in corpus (2)

• Ultrafast magnetization reversal in ferromagnetic spin-valves: an s-d model perspective
• Optimizing spin-based terahertz emission from magnetic heterostructures