Schematic Representation of Magnon and Paramagnon Drag (IMAGE)
Caption
Magnon-electron drag is an advective effect between magnons (waves of precession in the spins of individual atoms & represented as little grey cones) and electrons (green dots). The thermal gradient creates a gradient in the angles of the precession cones, which leads to a flow of magnons that then drags electrons along and creates thermopower. In the paramagnetic state, the local thermal fluctuations of magnetization (i.e. paramagnons) form little packets of magnons. These paramagnons can transfer the momentum they acquire in the thermal gradient to electrons and generate thermopower. In contrast, in a classical paramagnet, magnetic moments on the individual atoms are completely uncorrelated; there is no paramagnon or paramagnon drag thermopower in that case.
Credit
Renee Ripley, Ohio State University
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