Unconventional Spin Transport in Quantum Materials

Se Kwon Kim, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology

December 17, 2021

Recent advancements in spintronic techniques originally developed for spin-based devices now enable us to study fundamental spin physics of various quantum materials with unprecedented spin-current control and measurement, opening a new area of theoretical and experimental investigation of quantum systems. In this talk, we will introduce this emerging research area of spin transport in quantum materials which is fueled by the global interest in quantum information science. As examples, we will discuss our discovery of magnonic topological insulators realized by 2D magnets [1-3], which shows how spintronic techniques can be used for probing elusive quantum materials, and our prediction of long-range spin transport mediated by a vortex liquid in superconductors [4], which shows that quantum materials can provide novel platforms for efficient spin-transport devices. We will conclude the talk by offering a future outlook on quantum spintronics.

[1] S. K. Kim, H. Ochoa, R. Zarzuela, and Y. Tserkovnyak, “Realization of the Haldane-Kane-Mele Model in a System of Localized Spins,” Phys. Rev. Lett. 117, 227201 (2016)
[2] G. Go, S. K. Kim, and K.-J. Lee, "Topological Magnon-Phonon Hybrid Excitations in Two-Dimensional Ferromagnets with Tunable Chern Numbers," Phys. Rev. Lett. 123, 237207 (2019)
[3] S. Zhang, G. Go, K.-J. Lee, S. K. Kim, "SU(3) Topology of Magnon-Phonon Hybridization in 2D Antiferromagnets," Phys. Rev. Lett. 124, 147204 (2020)
[4] S. K. Kim, R. Myers, and Y. Tserkovnyak, "Nonlocal Spin Transport Mediated by a Vortex Liquid in Superconductors," Phys. Rev. Lett. 121, 187203 (2018)