All-Optical Generation of Antiferromagnetic Magnon Currents via the Magnon Circular Photogalvanic Effect

Abstract: We introduce the magnon circular photogalvanic effect enabled by stimulated Raman scattering. This provides an all-optical pathway to the generation of directed magnon currents with circularly polarized light in honeycomb antiferromagnetic insulators. The effect is the leading order contribution to magnon photocurrent generation via optical fields. Control of the magnon current by the polarization and angle of incidence of the laser is demonstrated. Experimental detection by sizeable inverse spin Hall voltages in platinum contacts is proposed.