Optical induced Spin Current in Monolayer NbSe$_2$

TL;DR

This study demonstrates that monolayer NbSe2 can generate pure spin Hall currents under light due to its topological spin properties, with potential applications in opto-spintronics devices.

Contribution

It provides a numerical analysis of optical spin Hall effects in monolayer NbSe2, revealing the role of topological properties and doping in enhancing spin currents.

Findings

Pure spin Hall current can be generated by light in monolayer NbSe2.

Spin Hall angle can be tuned by electron doping.

Spin Hall current persists at room temperature.

Abstract

Monolayer NbSe2 is a metallic two-dimensional (2D) transition-metal dichalcogenide material. Owing to the lattice structure and the strong atomic spin-orbit coupling (SOC) field, monolayer NbSe2 possesses Ising-type SOC which acts as effective Zeeman field, leading to the unconventional topological spin properties. In this paper, we numerically calculate spin-dependent optical conductivity of monolayer NbSe2 using Kubo formula based on an effective tight-binding model which includes $d_{z^2}$, $d_{x^2-y^2}$ and $d_{xy}$ orbitals of Nb atom. Numerical calculation indicates that the up- and down-spin have opposite sign of Hall current, so the pure spin Hall current can be generated in monolayer NbSe2 under light irradiation, owing to the topological nature of monolayer NbSe2, i.e., finite spin Berry curvature. The spin Hall angle is also evaluated. The optical induced spin Hall current can be enhanced by the electron doping and persists even at room temperature. Our results will serve to design opt-spintronics devices such as spin current harvesting by light irradiation on the basis of 2D materials.