Observation of the Nernst effect driven by longitudinal spin fluctuations

Abstract

The Nernst effect, which converts a heat current into a charge current in the orthogonal direction, is generally classified into the ordinary effect due to an external magnetic field applied to conductors and the anomalous effect due to static magnetization in magnetic materials. Thus, one expects that the anomalous Nernst effect disappears at the Curie temperature following the magnetization. Here, we observe the Nernst effect which rather manifests around the Curie temperature. In a series of ferromagnetic (Mn,Cr)Sb samples, the Nernst coefficients exhibit finite values even across the Curie temperatures, whereas the anomalous Hall resistivity disappears, suggesting the breakdown of the Mott relation. These surviving Nernst and vanishing Hall effects result in a peak behavior of the transverse thermoelectric conductivity around the Curie temperature, which we theoretically reproduce by introducing longitudinal fluctuations of spins without accounting for an exotic spin texture, a non-trivial electronic structure, or magnon- and phonon-drag effects. The Nernst effect driven by the longitudinal spin fluctuations reveals that not only the static magnetic order but also the spin fluctuations can be a driving force of the Nernst effect in magnetic materials, opening another way for boosting transverse thermoelectric conversion.