Chemical Reaction Rates for Systems with Spin–Orbit Coupling and an Odd Number of Electrons: Does Berry’s Phase Lead to Meaningful Spin-Dependent Nuclear Dynamics for a Two State Crossing?
- Award ID(s):
- 1764365
- PAR ID:
- 10226123
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- The Journal of Physical Chemistry A
- Volume:
- 124
- Issue:
- 37
- ISSN:
- 1089-5639
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 7355 to 7372
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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Abstract Electric currents carrying a net spin polarization are widely used in spintronics, whereas globally spin-neutral currents are expected to play no role in spin-dependent phenomena. Here we show that, in contrast to this common expectation, spin-independent conductance in compensated antiferromagnets and normal metals can be efficiently exploited in spintronics, provided their magnetic space group symmetry supports a non-spin-degenerate Fermi surface. Due to their momentum-dependent spin polarization, such antiferromagnets can be used as active elements in antiferromagnetic tunnel junctions (AFMTJs) and produce a giant tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) effect. Using RuO2as a representative compensated antiferromagnet exhibiting spin-independent conductance along the [001] direction but a non-spin-degenerate Fermi surface, we design a RuO2/TiO2/RuO2(001) AFMTJ, where a globally spin-neutral charge current is controlled by the relative orientation of the Néel vectors of the two RuO2electrodes, resulting in the TMR effect as large as ~500%. These results are expanded to normal metals which can be used as a counter electrode in AFMTJs with a single antiferromagnetic layer or other elements in spintronic devices. Our work uncovers an unexplored potential of the materials with no global spin polarization for utilizing them in spintronics.more » « less
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