Spin Hall and Edelstein Effects in Novel Chiral Noncollinear Altermagnets

TL;DR

This paper explores the unique spin transport phenomena in chiral noncollinear altermagnets, revealing large spin-Hall and Edelstein effects driven by their multipolar order and chirality, distinct from SOC-based mechanisms.

Contribution

It extends Landau theory to identify multipolar order parameters in non-collinear chiral altermagnets, predicting novel spin transport effects without relying on spin-orbit coupling.

Findings

Prediction of large spin-Hall effects in chiral altermagnets

Identification of Edelstein effects in non-collinear structures

Distinct mechanisms from SOC-driven spintronics

Abstract

Altermagnets are a newly discovered class of magnetic phases that combine the spin polarization behavior of ferromagnetic band structures with the vanishing net magnetization characteristic of antiferromagnets. Initially proposed for collinear magnets, the concept has since been extended to include certain non-collinear structures. A recent development in Landau theory for collinear altermagnets incorporates spin-space symmetries, providing a robust framework for identifying this class of materials. Here we expand on that theory to identify altermagnetic multipolar order parameters in non-collinear chiral materials. We demonstrate that the interplay between non-collinear altermagnetism and chirality allows for spatially odd multipole components, leading to non-trivial spin textures on Fermi surfaces and unexpected transport phenomena, even in the absence of SOC. This makes such chiral altermagnets fundamentally different from the well-known SOC-driven Rashba-Edelstein and spin Hall effects used for 2D spintronics. Choosing the chiral topological magnetic material Mn$_3$IrSi as a case study, we apply toy models and first-principles calculations to predict experimental signatures, such as large spin-Hall and Edelstein effects, that have not been previously observed in altermagnets. These findings pave the way for a new realm of spintronics applications based on spin-transport properties of chiral altermagnets.