Spin transport in a charge current induced magnon Bose-Einstein condensate at room temperature

A Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) describes a state of matter in which identical particles with integer angular momentum (bosons) occupy a collective quantum state. Its magnetic analogue, the magnon BEC, is particularly appealing for applications, as it can emerge at room temperature and in solid-state environments. The BEC state is a prerequisite for dissipationless transport phenomena such as superconductivity and superfluidity. Hence, magnon BECs should enable dissipationless magnon transport. However, transport phenomena within a magnon condensate or the generation of a critical magnon density by DC charge currents have only been considered theoretically. Here, we demonstrate the realization of a magnon BEC using a DC magnetotransport scheme and study its room temperature magnon conductivity. To this end, we utilize two platinum electrodes to electrically inject and detect magnons in an adjacent yttrium iron garnet (YIG) film. We control the magnon density in the YIG by sourcing a DC charge current through a third Pt electrode. Above a critical DC current, the magnon conductivity increases by almost two orders of magnitude. Our experimental findings strongly suggest dissipationless magnon transport, i.e. the realization of spin superfluidity. Within the magnon BEC, we identify two distinct regimes: the continuous condensation of magnons into the ground state and the full compensation of the effective magnon damping. Our results demonstrate an all-electrical approach for the investigation of the transport properties in a magnon BEC. The regime of dissipationless magnon transport paves the way for phenomena equivalent to the Josephson effects in superconductivity and will be of key relevance for future (quantum) magnonic devices.