Spin-splitting in electric-potential-difference antiferromagnetism

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel mechanism called electric-potential-difference antiferromagnetism (EPD-AFM) in 2D Janus AFM materials, where built-in electric fields induce spin splitting in band structures, demonstrated through first-principles calculations.

Contribution

It proposes a new mechanism for spin splitting in 2D AFM materials via electric potential differences caused by Janus structures, expanding the design principles for spin polarization.

Findings

Janus monolayer Mn2ClF can exhibit EPD-AFM.

Spin splitting in EPD-AFM can be tuned by piezoelectric effects.

The mechanism offers a new way to generate spin polarization in 2D AFM materials.

Abstract

The antiferromagnetic (AFM) materials are robust to external magnetic perturbation due to missing any net magnetic moment. In general, the spin splitting in the band structures disappears in these antiferromagnets. However, the altermagnetism can achieve spin-split bands in collinear symmetry-compensated antiferromagnet with special magnetic space group. Here, we propose a new mechanism that can achieve spin splitting in two-dimensional (2D) Janus A-type AFM materials. Since the built-in electric field caused by Janus structure creates a layer-dependent electrostatic potential, the electronic bands in different layers will stagger, producing the spin splitting, which can be called electric-potential-difference antiferromagnetism (EPD-AFM). We demonstrate that Janus monolayer $\mathrm{Mn_2ClF}$ is a possible candidate to achieve the EPD-AFM by the first-principles calculations. It is proposed that the spin splitting can be tuned in EPD-AFM by piezoelectric effect. Our works provide a new design principle for generating spin polarization in 2D AFM materials.