The antiferromagnetic order is expected to have a high potential in next-generation spintronic applications. It is resistant to perturbation by magnetic fields, produces no stray fields, displays ultrafast dynamics and may generate large magneto-transport effects. In spintronic materials, spin currents are key to unravelling spin dependent transport phenomena. Here, spin pumping results from the non-equilibrium magnetization dynamics of a ferromagnetic spin injector, which pumps a spin current into an adjacent spin sink. This spin sink absorbs the current to an extent which depends on its spin-dependent properties. The properties of the spin sink can be recorded either through the changes induced in ferromagnetic damping or through direct electrical means, such as by measuring the inverse spin Hall voltage. In this talk, we will deal with the injection of a spin current in thin antiferromagnetic sinks. Measurements of the spin penetration depths and absorption mechanisms were obtained for polycrystalline Ir20Mn80 and Fe50Mn50 films (Appl. Phys. Lett. 104, 032406 (2014)). More interestingly, spins propagate more efficiently in layers where the magnetic order is fluctuating rather than static. The experimental data were compared to some of the recently developed theories and converted into interfacial spin mixing conductance enhancements. These findings help us progress towards the development of more efficient spin sources, while also providing an alternative method to probe magnetic phase transitions (Phys. Rev. Lett. in press (2016)). This type of alternative method is particularly needed to deal with the case of thin materials with no net magnetic moments, such as thin antiferromagnets.
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