Spin Seebeck mechanical force

Authors
M. Jiang, H. Asahara, S. Sato, T. Kanaki, H. Yamasaki, S. Ohya, and M. Tanaka

Abstract
Electric current has been used to send electricity to far distant places. On the other hand, spin current, a flow of electron spin, can in principle also send angular momentum to distant places. In a magnet, there is a universal spin carrier called a spin wave, a wave-type excitation of magnetization. Since spin waves exhibit a long propagation length, it should be able to send angular momentum that can generate torque and force at a distant place: a new function of magnets. Here we observe mechanical angular momentum transmission and force generation due to spin waves injected into Y₃Fe₅O₁₂ by the spin-Seebeck effect. The spin-wave current, transmitted through a Y₃Fe₅O₁₂micro cantilever, was found to create a mechanical force on the cantilever as a non-local reaction of the spin-Seebeck effect. Spin-wave current can be generated remotely even in open circuits, and it can be used to drive micro mechanical devices.

Nature Communications：https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-019-10625-y