Polarization-controlled tunable directional spin-driven photocurrents in a magnetic metamaterial with threefold...

Future spintronics and quantum technologies will require a portfolio of techniques for manipulating electron spins in functional nanodevices. Especially, the establishment of the methods to control spin current is the key ingredient essential for the transfer and processing of information, enabling faster and low-energy operation. However, a universal method for manipulating spin currents with full-directional controllability and tunable magnitude has not been established. Here we show that an artificial material called a magnetic metamaterial (MM), which possesses a novel spintronic functionality not exhibited by the original substance, generates photo-driven ultrafast spin currents at room temperature via the magneto-photogalvanic effect. By tuning the polarization state of the excitation light, these spin currents can be directed with tunable magnitude along an arbitrary direction in the two-dimensional plane of the MM. This new concept may guide the design and creation of artificially engineered opto-spintronic functionalities beyond the limitations of conventional material science.