Rectification of Spin Current in Inversion-Asymmetric Magnets with Linearly-Polarized Electromagnetic Waves

Abstract: We theoretically propose a method of rectifying spin current with a linearly-polarized electromagnetic wave in inversion-asymmetric magnetic insulators. To demonstrate the proposal, we consider quantum spin chains as a simple example; these models are mapped to fermion (spinon) models via Jordan-Wigner transformation. Using a nonlinear response theory, we find that a dc spin current is generated by the linearly-polarized waves. The spin current shows rich anisotropic behavior depending on the direction of the electromagnetic wave. This is a manifestation of the rich interplay between spins and the waves; inverse Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya, Zeeman, and magnetostriction couplings lead to different behaviors of the spin current. The resultant spin current is insensitive to the relaxation time of spinons, a property of which potentially benefits a long-distance propagation of the spin current. An estimate of the required electromagnetic wave is given.