  The interplay between spin, charge, and orbital degrees of freedom has led to
the development of spintronic devices like spin-torque oscillators, spin-logic
devices, and spin-transfer torque magnetic random-access memories. In this
development spin pumping, the process where pure spin-currents are generated
from magnetisation precession, has proved to be a powerful method for probing
spin physics and magnetisation dynamics. The effect originates from direct
conversion of low energy quantised spin-waves in the magnet, known as magnons,
into a flow of spins from the precessing magnet to adjacent normal metal leads.
The spin-pumping phenomenon represents a convenient way to electrically detect
magnetisation dynamics, however, precessing magnets have been limited so far to
pump pure spin currents, which require a secondary spin-charge conversion
element such as heavy metals with large spin Hall angle or multi-layer layouts
to be detectable. Here, we report the experimental observation of charge
pumping in which a precessing ferromagnet pumps a charge current, demonstrating
direct conversion of magnons into high-frequency currents via the relativistic
spin-orbit interaction. The generated electric current, differently from spin
currents generated by spin-pumping, can be directly detected without the need
of any additional spin to charge conversion mechanism and amplitude and phase
information about the relativistic current-driven magnetisation dynamics. The
charge-pumping phenomenon is generic and gives a deeper understanding of the
recently observed spin-orbit torques, of which it is the reciprocal effect and
which currently attract interest for their potential in manipulating magnetic
information. Furthermore, charge pumping provides a novel link between
magnetism and electricity and may find application in sourcing alternating
electric currents.
