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Spin Hall magnetoresistance in Pt/YIG bilayers via varying magnon excitation

Spin Hall magnetoresistance (SMR) and magnon excitation magnetoresistance (MMR) that all generate via the spin Hall effect and inverse spin Hall effect in a nonmagnetic material are always related to each other. However, the influence of magnon excitation for SMR is often overlooked due to the negligible MMR. Here, we investigate the SMR in Pt/Y3Fe5O12 (YIG) bilayers from 5 to 300K, in which the YIG are treated after Ar+-ion milling. The SMR in the treated device is smaller than in the non-treated. According to theoretical simulation, we attribute this phenomenon to the reduction of the interfacial spin-mixing conductance at the treated Pt/YIG interface induced by the magnon suppression. Our experimental results point out that the SMR and the MMR are inter-connected, and the former could be modulated via magnon excitation. Our findings provide a new approach for separating and clarifying the underlying mechanisms.