Spin Seebeck effect

Chapter 18 This chapter discusses the spin Seebeck effect (SSE), which stands for the generation of a spin current, a flow of spinangular momentum, as a result of a temperature gradient in magnetic materials. In spintronics and spin caloritronics, the SSE is of crucial importance because it enables simple and versatile generation of a spin current from heat. Since the SSE is driven by thermally excited magnon dynaimcs, the thermal spin current can be generated not only from ferromagnetic conductors but also from insulators. Therefore, the SSE is applicable to “insulator-based thermoelectric conversion” which was impossible if only conventional thermoelectric technologies were used. In this chapter, after introducing basic characteristics and mechanisms of the SSE, important experimental progresses, such as the high-magnetic-field response of the SSE and the enhancement of the SSE in multilayer systems, are reviewed.