Persistent Spin Textures in Nonpolar Chiral Systems

TL;DR

This paper proposes a new approach to realize persistent spin textures in nonpolar chiral systems by symmetry considerations and first-principles calculations, identifying specific compounds that exhibit this property for spintronic applications.

Contribution

It introduces a symmetry-based method to identify nonpolar chiral materials with persistent spin textures and validates it through DFT calculations on Y3TaO7 and AsBr3.

Findings

Y3TaO7 shows PST in conduction band with Ta-dxz orbital character.

AsBr3 exhibits PST in valence band with Br-px orbital character.

The identified materials expand the class of PST-capable systems for spin-orbitronics.

Abstract

In this paper, we have proposed a novel route for the realisation of persistent spin texture (PST). We have shown from symmetry considerations that in non-polar chiral systems, bands with specific orbital characters around a high symmetry point with $D_{2}$ little group may admit a single spin dependent term in the low energy $\bf{k.p}$ model Hamiltonian that naturally leads to PST. Considering a $2D$ plane in the Brillouin zone (BZ), we have further argued that in such chiral systems the PST is transpired due to the comparable strengths of the Dresselhaus and Weyl (radial) interaction parameters where the presence of these two terms are allowed by the $D{_2}$ symmetry. Finally using first principles density functional theory (DFT) calculations we have identified that the non-polar chiral compounds Y$_3$TaO$_7$ and AsBr$_3$ displays PST for the conduction band and valence band respectively around the $\Gamma$ point having $D{_2}$ little group and predominantly Ta-$d_{xz}$ orbital character for Y$_3$TaO$_7$ and Br-$p{_x}$ orbital character for AsBr$_3$ corroborating our general strategy. Our results for the realisation of PST in non-polar chiral systems thereby broaden the class of materials displaying PST that can be employed for application in spin-orbitronics.