Work

Absence of detectable spin and orbital pumping from Ni to Nb by out-of-plane ferromagnetic resonance

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Excited ferromagnets can pump spin angular momentum, along with possibly orbital angular momentum. Among elemental ferromagnets, Ni has been proposed to exhibit substantial orbital pumping relative to spin pumping. Here, we search for a signature of orbital pumping by Ni, specifically by comparing out-of-plane ferromagnetic resonance in heterostructures without Ni (FeV/Nb) and with Ni (FeV-Ni/Nb). The FeV/Nb series shows a clear increase in Gilbert damping with the Nb sink thickness, attributed to spin pumping from FeV to Nb. Surprisingly, the FeV-Ni/Nb series exhibits no such damping increase, revealing no significant spin or orbital pumping from Ni to Nb. Our results offer a fresh perspective on angular-momentum transfer in Ni/Nb heterostructures.

Source: Applied Physics Letters

DOI: 10.1063/5.0301792

Authors: Omolara A. Bakare, Galen T. Street, Sachli Abdizadeh, Rachel E. Maizel, Christoph Klewe, Satoru Emori

Institutions: Virginia Tech, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Advanced Light Source

Language: English

Topic: Magnetic properties of thin films

Subfield: Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics

Field: Physics and Astronomy

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funders: National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Division of Electrical, Communications and Cyber Systems