Spin conductance of YIG thin films driven from thermal to subthermal magnons regime by large spin-orbit torque

Abstract: We report a study on spin conductance in ultra-thin films of Yttrium Iron Garnet (YIG), where spin transport is provided by propagating spin waves, that are generated and detected by direct and inverse spin Hall effects in two Pt wires deposited on top. While at low current the spin conductance is dominated by transport of thermal magnons, at high current, the spin conductance is dominated by low-damping non-equilibrium magnons thermalized near the spectral bottom by magnon-magnon interaction, with consequent a sensitivity to the applied magnetic field and a longer decay length. This picture is supported by microfocus Brillouin Light Scattering spectroscopy.