Probing Ultrafast Spin Transport with Terahertz Electromagnetic Pulses

To take advantage of the electron spin in future electronics, spin angular momentum needs to be transported and detected. Electric fields and temperature gradients have been shown to efficiently drive spin transport at megahertz and gigahertz frequencies.

However, to probe the initial elementary steps that lead to the formation of spin currents, we need to launch and measure transport on much faster, that is, on femtosecond time scales. This goal is achieved by employing both ultrashort optical and terahertz electromagnetic pulses.

We show that this experimental strategy provides new insights into important spintronic phenomena such as the spin Seebeck effect, spin-to-charge-current conversion and anisotropic magnetoresistance. Interesting photonic applications such as the efficient generation of ultrashort terahertz electromagnetic pulses will also be addressed.

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