Separation of Inverse Altermagnetic Spin-Splitting Effect from Inverse Spin Hall Effect in RuO2

Recently, a significant amount of attention has been attracted toward a third classification of magnetism, altermagnetism, due to the unique physical properties of altermagnetic materials, which are compensated collinear antiferromagnets that host time-reversal symmetry-breaking phenomena like a ferromagnet. In an altermagnetic material, through the nonrelativistic altermagnetic spin-splitting effect (ASSE), a transverse spin current is generated upon charge current injection. However, it is very challenging to experimentally establish the ASSE since it is inevitably mixed with the spin Hall effect due to the relativistic spin-orbit coupling of the material. Additionally, the dependence on the hard-to-probe and hard-to-control Néel vectors makes it even more difficult to observe and establish the ASSE. In this Letter, we utilize the thermal spin injection from the ferrimagnetic insulator yttrium iron garnet and detect an inverse altermagnetic spin-splitting effect (IASSE) in the high-quality epitaxial altermagnetic RuO_{2} thin films. We observe an opposite sign for the spin-to-charge conversion through the IASSE compared to the inverse spin Hall effect (ISHE). The efficiency of the IASSE is approximately 70% of the ISHE in RuO_{2}. Moreover, we demonstrate that the ASSE or IASSE effect is observable only when the Néel vectors are well aligned. By modifying the Néel vector domains via RuO_{2} crystallinity, we study the ASSE or IASSE unequivocally and quantitatively. Our Letter provides significant insight into the spin-splitting effect in altermagnetic materials.