Algorithm for spin symmetry operation search

TL;DR

This paper introduces an exhaustive algorithm to identify spin symmetry operations in spin space groups, enabling better analysis of magnetic structures with negligible spin-orbit coupling.

Contribution

It presents the first comprehensive algorithm to search for spin symmetry operations based on nonmagnetic crystal symmetries, implemented in open-source software.

Findings

Algorithm successfully identifies spin symmetry operations.

Implementation available as open-source software.

Facilitates symmetry analysis in magnetic materials.

Abstract

A spin space group provides a suitable way to fully exploit the symmetry of a spin arrangement with a negligible spin-orbit coupling. There has been a growing interest in applying spin symmetry analysis with the spin space group in the field of magnetism. However, there is no established algorithm to search for spin symmetry operations of the spin space group. This paper presents an exhaustive algorithm for determining spin symmetry operations of commensurate spin arrangements. The present algorithm searches for spin symmetry operations from the symmetry operations of a corresponding nonmagnetic crystal structure and determines their spin-rotation parts by solving a Procrustes problem. An implementation is distributed under a permissive free software license in spinspg v0.1.1: https://github.com/spglib/spinspg.