Magnon-polaritons are shown to play a dominant role in the propagation of terahertz (THz) waves through TmFeO3 orthoferrite, if the frequencies of the waves are in the vicinity of the quasi-antiferromagnetic spin resonance mode. Both time-domain THz transmission and emission spectroscopies reveal clear beatings between two modes with frequencies slightly above and slightly below this resonance, respectively. Rigorous modeling of the interaction between the spins of TmFeO3 and the THz light shows that the frequencies correspond to the upper and lower magnon-polariton branches. Our findings reveal the previously ignored importance of propagation effects and polaritons in such heavily debated areas as THz magnonics and THz spectroscopy of electromagnons. It also shows that future progress in these areas calls for an interdisciplinary approach at the interface between magnetism and photonics.

The antiferromagnetic order can mediate a transmission of the spin angular momentum flow, or the spin current, in the form of propagating magnons. In this work, we perform laser stimulated THz emission measurements on Pt/CoO/FeCoB multilayers to investigate the spin current transmission through CoO, an antiferromagnetic insulator, on a picosecond timescale. The results reveal a spin current transmission through CoO with the diffusion length of 3.0 nm. In addition, rotation of the polarization of the emitted THz radiation was observed, suggesting an interaction between the propagating THz magnons and the Néel vector in CoO. Our results not only demonstrate the picosecond magnon spin current transmission but also the picosecond interaction of the THz magnons with the Néel vector in the antiferromagnet.

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