title: Generation of spin currents by surface plasmon resonance.
abstract: Surface plasmons, free-electron collective oscillations in metallic nanostructures, provide abundant routes to manipulate light-electron interactions that can localize light energy and alter electromagnetic field distributions at subwavelength scales. The research field of plasmonics thus integrates nano-photonics with electronics. In contrast, electronics is also entering a new era of spintronics, where spin currents play a central role in driving devices. However, plasmonics and spin-current physics have so far been developed independently. Here we report the generation of spin currents by surface plasmon resonance. Using Au nanoparticles embedded in Pt/BiY(2)Fe(5)O(12) bilayer films, we show that, when the Au nanoparticles fulfill the surface-plasmon-resonance conditions, spin currents are generated across the Pt/BiY(2)Fe(5)O(12) interface. This spin-current generation cannot be explained by conventional heating effects, requiring us to introduce nonequilibrium magnons excited by surface-plasmon-induced evanescent electromagnetic fields in BiY(2)Fe(5)O(12). This plasmonic spin pumping integrates surface plasmons with spin-current physics, opening the door to plasmonic spintronics.
authors.affiliation: 1] Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8577, Japan [2] PRESTO, Japan Science and Technology Agency, Saitama 332-0012, Japan.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Uchida
authors.affiliation: 1] Advanced Science Research Center, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Tokai 319-1195, Japan [2] CREST, Japan Science and Technology Agency, Tokyo 102-0075, Japan.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Adachi
authors.affiliation: 1] Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8577, Japan [2] WPI Advanced Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8577, Japan.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kikuchi
authors.affiliation: Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8577, Japan.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ito
authors.affiliation: WPI Advanced Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8577, Japan.
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Qiu
authors.affiliation: 1] Advanced Science Research Center, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Tokai 319-1195, Japan [2] CREST, Japan Science and Technology Agency, Tokyo 102-0075, Japan.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Maekawa
authors.affiliation: 1] Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8577, Japan [2] Advanced Science Research Center, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Tokai 319-1195, Japan [3] CREST, Japan Science and Technology Agency, Tokyo 102-0075, Japan [4] WPI Advanced Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8577, Japan.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Saitoh