Chirality-Induced Magnet-Free Spin Generation in a Semiconductor.

Electrical generation and transduction of polarized electron spins in semiconductors (SCs) are of central interest in spintronics and quantum information science. While spin generation in SCs is frequently realized via electrical injection from a ferromagnet (FM), there are significant advantages in nonmagnetic pathways of creating spin polarization. One such pathway exploits the interplay of electron spin with chirality in electronic structures or real space. Here, utilizing chirality-induced spin selectivity (CISS), the efficient creation of spin accumulation in n-doped GaAs via electric current injection from a normal metal (Au) electrode through a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) of chiral molecules (α-helix l-polyalanine, AHPA-L), is demonstrated. The resulting spin polarization is detected as a Hanle effect in the n-GaAs, which is found to obey a distinct universal scaling with temperature and bias current consistent with chirality-induced spin accumulation. The experiment constitutes a definitive observation of CISS in a fully nonmagnetic device structure and demonstration of its ability to generate spin accumulation in a conventional SC. The results thus place key constraints on the physical mechanism of CISS and present a new scheme for magnet-free SC spintronics.

Transition between Heavy-Fermion-Strange-Metal and Quantum Spin Liquid in a 4d-Electron Trimer Lattice.

We present experimental evidence that a heavy Fermi surface consisting of itinerant, charge-neutral spinons underpins both heavy-fermion-strange-metal (without f electrons) and quantum-spin-liquid states in the 4d-electron trimer lattice, Ba_{4}Nb_{1-x}Ru_{3+x}O_{12}(|x|<0.20). These two exotic states both exhibit an extraordinarily large entropy, a linear heat capacity extending into the milli-Kelvin regime, a linear thermal conductivity at low temperatures, and separation of charges and spins. Furthermore, the insulating spin liquid is a much better thermal conductor than the heavy-fermion-strange-metal that separately is observed to strongly violate the Wiedemann-Franz law. We propose that at the heart of this 4d system is a universal, heavy spinon Fermi surface that provides a unified framework for explaining the exotic phenomena observed throughout the entire series. The control of such exotic ground states provided by variable Nb concentration offers a new paradigm for studies of correlated quantum matter.

Current-sensitive Hall effect in a chiral-orbital-current state.

Chiral orbital currents (COC) underpin a novel colossal magnetoresistance in ferrimagnetic Mn3Si2Te6. Here we report the Hall effect in the COC state which exhibits the following unprecedented features: (1) A sharp, current-sensitive peak in the magnetic field dependence of the Hall resistivity, and (2) A current-sensitive scaling relation between the Hall conductivity σxy and the longitudinal conductivity σxx, namely, σxy ∝ σxxα with α reaching up to 5, which is exceptionally large compared to α ≤ 2 typical of all solids. The novel Hall responses along with a current-sensitive carrier density and a large Hall angle of 15% point to a giant, current-sensitive Hall effect that is unique to the COC state. Here, we show that a magnetic field induced by the fully developed COC combines with the applied magnetic field to exert the greatly enhanced transverse force on charge carriers, which dictates the COC Hall responses.

Interplay of structural chirality, electron spin and topological orbital in chiral molecular spin valves.

Chirality has been a property of central importance in physics, chemistry and biology for more than a century. Recently, electrons were found to become spin polarized after transmitting through chiral molecules, crystals, and their hybrids. This phenomenon, called chirality-induced spin selectivity (CISS), presents broad application potentials and far-reaching fundamental implications involving intricate interplays among structural chirality, topological states, and electronic spin and orbitals. However, the microscopic picture of how chiral geometry influences electronic spin remains elusive, given the negligible spin-orbit coupling (SOC) in organic molecules. In this work, we address this issue via a direct comparison of magnetoconductance (MC) measurements on magnetic semiconductor-based chiral molecular spin valves with normal metal electrodes of contrasting SOC strengths. The experiment reveals that a heavy-metal electrode provides SOC to convert the orbital polarization induced by the chiral molecular structure to spin polarization. Our results illustrate the essential role of SOC in the metal electrode for the CISS spin valve effect. A tunneling model with a magnetochiral modulation of the potential barrier is shown to quantitatively account for the unusual transport behavior.

Linear and Nonlinear Two-Terminal Spin-Valve Effect from Chirality-Induced Spin Selectivity.

Various mechanisms of electrical generation of spin polarization in nonmagnetic materials have been a subject of broad interest for their underlying physics and device potential in spintronics. One such scheme is chirality-induced spin selectivity (CISS), with which structural chirality leads to different electric conductivities for electrons of opposite spins. The resulting effect of spin filtering has been reported for a number of chiral molecules assembled on different surfaces. However, the microscopic origin and transport mechanisms remain controversial. In particular, the fundamental Onsager relation was argued to preclude linear-response detection of CISS by a ferromagnet. Here, we report definitive observation of CISS-induced magnetoconductance in vertical heterojunctions of (Ga,Mn)As/AHPA-L molecules/Au, directly verifying spin filtering by the AHPA-L molecules via spin detection by the (Ga,Mn)As. The pronounced and robust magnetoconductance signals resulting from the use of a magnetic semiconductor enable a rigorous examination of its bias dependence, which shows both linear- and nonlinear-response components. The definitive identification of the linear-response CISS-induced two-terminal spin-valve effect places an important constraint for a viable theory of CISS and its device manifestations. The results present a promising route to spin injection and detection in semiconductors without using any magnetic material.

Localized magnetic moments in metallic SrB6 single crystals.

The specific heat [Formula: see text] of metallic SrB6 single crystals shows an anomalous behavior for [Formula: see text] K which varies strongly with an applied magnetic field. This is consistent with a two-level Schottky system. We ascribe the excess of [Formula: see text] in this temperature range to localized magnetic moments. In addition, features that are attributable to a partial ferromagnetic polarization of a conduction electron gas are observed. These results are supported by magnetization measurements and are compatible with the transport properties reported previously (Stankiewicz 2016 Phys. Rev. B 94 125141).

The challenge of spin-orbit-tuned ground states in iridates: a key issues review.

Effects of spin-orbit interactions in condensed matter are an important and rapidly evolving topic. Strong competition between spin-orbit, on-site Coulomb and crystalline electric field interactions in iridates drives exotic quantum states that are unique to this group of materials. In particular, the 'J eff = ½' Mott state served as an early signal that the combined effect of strong spin-orbit and Coulomb interactions in iridates has unique, intriguing consequences. In this Key Issues Review, we survey some current experimental studies of iridates. In essence, these materials tend to defy conventional wisdom: absence of conventional correlations between magnetic and insulating states, avoidance of metallization at high pressures, 'S-shaped' I-V characteristic, emergence of an odd-parity hidden order, etc. It is particularly intriguing that there exist conspicuous discrepancies between current experimental results and theoretical proposals that address superconducting, topological and quantum spin liquid phases. This class of materials, in which the lattice degrees of freedom play a critical role seldom seen in other materials, evidently presents some profound intellectual challenges that call for more investigations both experimentally and theoretically. Physical properties unique to these materials may help unlock a world of possibilities for functional materials and devices. We emphasize that, given the rapidly developing nature of this field, this Key Issues Review is by no means an exhaustive report of the current state of experimental studies of iridates.

Kondo physics in a rare earth ion with well localized 4f electrons.

Dilute Nd in simple cubic LaB(6) shows electrical resistance and specific heat features at low temperature consistent with a Kondo scale of T(K)