Hanle magnetoresistance: The role of edge spin accumulation and interfacial spin current

Abstract

We report the Hanle magnetoresistance (HMR) due to the spin precession of edge spin accumulation and interfacial spin current. Because of spin-orbit coupling (SOC), an electric current is accompanied by a transverse spin current, which builds up the spin accumulation at surfaces of Pt and the spin current across the YIG/Pt interface. Once a magnetic field is applied, the precession of spins will decrease the edge spin accumulation and interfacial spin current, which leads to an increased resistance of Pt via ISHE. Spin relaxation governs the HMR from edge spin accumulation, while spin diffusion and spin conversion play important roles in the HMR from interfacial spin current. This work provides another method to investigate the spin-orbit coupling by electrical measurement.