Spin-polarized current in non-collinear antiferromagnets Mn3X (X = Ga, Ge, Sn, Rh, Ir, Pt)

摘要

Noncollinear antiferromagnets, such as Mn3Sn and Mn3Ir, were recently shownto be analogous to ferromagnets in that they have a large anomalous Halleffect. Here we show that these materials are similar to ferromagnets inanother aspect: the charge current in these materials is spin-polarized. Inaddition, we show that the same mechanism that leads to the spin-polarizedcurrent also leads to a transversal spin current, which has a distinct symmetryand origin from the conventional spin Hall effect. We illustrate the existenceof the spin-polarized current and the transversal spin current by performing abinitio microscopic calculations and by analyzing the symmetry. Based on thespin- polarized current we propose an antiferromagnetic tunneling junction,analogous in functionality to the magnetic tunneling junction.