Tunable intrinsic spin Hall conductivity in BiTeI by applying hydrostatic pressure

Abstract

This systematic study on the intrinsic spin Hall conductivity (SHC) of BiTeI aims to explore the role of hydrostatic pressure in controlling the topological properties and SHC. It was found that the sign of transverse spin Hall conductivity tensors σxyz, σxzy, and σzxy in BiTeI is reversed due to the topological transition under hydrostatic pressure. The change in sign originates from the variation in spin Berry curvature near A in the Brillouin zone, which is caused by Te-p and I-p orbital hybridization induced by the interplay coupling under hydrostatic pressure in BiTeI. Thus, SHC could be effectively tuned by changing the hydrostatic pressure. These results not only allow us to establish a fundamental understanding of SHC in BiTeI depending on the pressure but also provide guidelines for applying BiTeI in next-generation spintronic devices.