Fasil discussed the 'Interplay between charge, spin, super and heat currents in 2D and 3D materials'.
Unwanted heat generation from the flow of electrons is often considered a limitation for the proper functioning of electronic devices. Nevertheless, this waste heat can be utilised to develop spintronic devices that employ heat for read/write operations or to efficiently regulate heat flow using magnetic heat valves. This functionality can be powerful when integrating two-dimensional (2D) materials with spin caloritronic principles. In this talk, Fasil explored the interaction between charge, spin, and heat currents, drawing insights from thermoelectrics, which involve charge-heat coupling, and from spintronics, which focuses on charge-spin coupling. The unique properties of 2D materials, such as high carrier mobility, tunable bandgaps, and strong spin-orbit coupling, make them ideal candidates for spin-orbit torque engineering, which is challenging to achieve in traditional systems.
He also presented new results on innovative methods for generating and detecting spin currents in 2D materials, as well as on picosecond magnetoacoustics in yttrium iron garnet systems. Finally, he introduced and discussed the concept of magnetic heat valves, which operate similarly to giant magnetoresistance (GMR) devices but are specifically designed for controlling the heat flow in spin-caloritronic applications.