A terahertz light wave is converted into a spin wave in a sample of thin metallic layers. (IMAGE)
Caption
A terahertz light wave (from left) is converted into a spin wave (right) in a sample of thin metallic layers. In a heavy metal layer (left), electrical currents are first excited by the terahertz field. Within an ultrashort time, the spin Hall effect leads to the accumulation of spins with a certain orientation at the interface with a ferromagnetic layer (right). This directed spin current then triggers a coherent, nanomater-wavelength spin wave in the ferromagnetic material.
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HZDR/Juniks
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