Our work in spintronics is currently centered on the long-range transport of spin signals in insulating magnets with a special interest in antiferromagnets. Towards this goal, we employ collective spin excitations such as magnons, domain walls, and magnetic skyrmions as spin carriers in nonlocal device geometries. For generation and detection of such collective excitations, we rely on mechanisms such as spin-orbit torque, spin pumping, and spin Seebeck effect at the interface of heavy metals (e.g., Pt) and magnetic insulators.
We are also very keen on using spin transport as a probe of quantum magnetism in correlated material systems, especially when conventional techniques fail to provide insight. This is often the case in antiferromagnets and materials with disordered magnetic states.
Data loss is a major issue in modern electronics. Charged-based devices are vulnerable to ionizing radiation while ferromagnetic-based memory devices are susceptible to data loss from external magnetic fields. However, Antiferromagnetic (AFM) based memory devices are robust to both charge and magnetic field perturbations. There exists a handful of materials whose AFM spin textures can be electrically “switched'': an applied current induces a spin polarization due to a combination of inversion symmetry and spin-orbit coupling that transfers angular momentum into the system, exerting a spin-orbit torque on the magnetic domains. This torque rotates the conductivity tensor, providing a switch between distinct resistance states.