Local Spin Polarization Research Articles

Spin and polarization effects on the nonlinear Breit–Wheeler pair production in laser-plasma interaction

The spin effect of electrons/positrons (e −/e +) and polarization effect of γ photons are investigated in the interaction of two counter-propagating linearly polarized laser pulses of peak intensity 8.9 × 1023 W cm−2 with a thin foil target. The processes of nonlinear Compton scattering and nonlinear Breit–Wheeler pair production based on the spin- and polarization-resolved probabilities are implemented into the particle-in-cell (PIC) algorithm by Monte Carlo methods. It is found from PIC simulations that the average degree of linear polarization of emitted γ photons can exceed 50%. This polarization effect leads to a reduced positron yield by about 10%. At some medium positron energies, the reduction can reach 20%. Furthermore, we also observe that the local spin polarization of e −/e + leads to a slight decrease of the positron yield about 2% and some anomalous phenomena about the positron spectrum and photon polarization at the high-energy range, due to spin-dependent photon emissions. Our results indicate that spin and polarization effects should be considered in calculating the pair production and laser-plasma interaction with the laser power of 10 PW to 100 PW classes.

Local spin alignment of vector mesons in relativistic heavy-ion collisions

We investigate the spin alignment of vector mesons arising from locally polarized quarks and anti-quarks (local spin alignment) in heavy-ion collisions. We find that ρ00≠1/3 does not necessarily signal the global polarization of quarks and anti-quarks along the orbital angular momentum of the system, but may also originate from their local spin polarization. Such local spin polarization could be induced by local vorticity arising from the anisotropic expansion of the fireball. We further propose experimental observables that can distinguish between the local and the global spin alignments. Measurements of these observables in heavy-ion collisions can probe the vorticity pattern and shed light on the puzzles of ϕ and K⁎0 spin alignments.

Hinge Spin Polarization in Magnetic Topological Insulators Revealed by Resistance Switch.

We report on the possibility of detecting hinge spin polarization in magnetic topological insulators by resistance measurements. By implementing a three-dimensional model of magnetic topological insulators into a multiterminal device with ferromagnetic contacts near the top surface, local spin features of the chiral edge modes are unveiled. We find local spin polarization at the hinges that inverts the sign between the top and bottom surfaces. At the opposite edge, the topological state with inverted spin polarization propagates in the reverse direction. A large resistance switch between forward and backward propagating states is obtained, driven by the matching between the spin polarized hinges and the ferromagnetic contacts. This feature is general to the ferromagnetic, antiferromagnetic, and canted antiferromagnetic phases, and enables the design of spin-sensitive devices, with the possibility of reversing the hinge spin polarization of the currents.

Hidden bulk and surface effects in the spin polarization of the nodal-line semimetal ZrSiTe

In non-magnetic materials the combination of inversion symmetry breaking (ISB) and spin-orbit coupling (SOC) determines the spin polarization of the band structure. However, a local spin polarization can also arise in centrosymmetric crystals containing ISB subunits. This is namely the case for the nodal-line semimetal ZrSiTe where, by combining spin- and angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy with ab initio band structure calculations, we reveal a complex spin polarization. In the bulk, the valence and conduction bands exhibit opposite spin orientations in two spatially separated two-dimensional ZrTe sectors within the unit cell, yielding no net polarization. We also observe spin-polarized surface states that are well separated in energy and momentum from the bulk bands. A layer-by-layer analysis of the spin polarization allows us to unveil the complex evolution of the signal in the bulk states near the surface, thus bringing the intertwined nature of surface and bulk effects to the fore.

Hydrodynamic study of hyperon spin polarization in relativistic heavy ion collisions

We perform a systematic study of the spin polarization of hyperons in heavy-ion collisions using the MUSIC hydrodynamic model with A Multi-Phase Transport (AMPT) pre-equilibrium dynamics. Our model calculations nicely describe the measured collision-energy, centrality, rapidity, and $p_T$ dependence of $\Lambda$ polarization. We also study and predict the global spin polarization of $\Xi^-$ and $\Omega^-$ as a function of collision energy, which provides a baseline for the studies of the magnetic moment, spin, and mass dependence of the spin polarization. For the local spin polarization, we calculate the radial and azimuthal components of the transverse $\Lambda$ polarization and find specific modulating behavior which could reflect the circular vortical structure. However, our model fails to describe the azimuthal-angle dependence of the longitudinal and transverse $\Lambda$ polarization, which indicates that the hydrodynamic framework with the spin Cooper-Frye formula under the assumption of thermal equilibrium of spin degree of freedom needs to be improved.

Interference effect in the electronic transport of a topological insulator quantum dot

Edge and bulk energy levels can coexist in a quantum dot (QD) made of a topological insulator. Interference effect will occur between bulk and edge levels and also between degenerate edge levels. It can be observed in the transport behavior. For the former, it acts as Fano interference with edge and bulk levels contributing continuous and resonant transport channels, respectively. Generally speaking, Fano interference can be realized in a two-armed junction with a single QD or a one-armed junction with at least two QDs. But here it is realized in a one-armed junction with a single QD. As for the interference between degenerate edge levels, it leads to a spin and space dependent scattering process. Spin of an incident electron will either be conserved or rotate about an axis for transmitting into different leads. It is determined by the local spin polarization of edge levels and the accumulated phase in transport paths in the QD. It may be used in the design of a spin field-effect transistor.

Large band splitting with tunable spin polarization in the two-dimensional ferroelectric GaXY family ( X=Se,Te ; Y=Cl,Br,I )

It has been generally accepted that the spin-orbit coupling effect in noncentrosymmetric materials leads to the band splitting and non-trivial spin polarization in the momentum space. However, in some cases, zero net spin polarization in the split bands may occurs, dubbed as the band splitting with vanishing spin polarization (BSVSP) effect, protected by non-pseudo-polar point group symmetry of the wave vector in the first Brillouin zone [Liu et. al., Nat. Commun. \textbf{10}, 5144 (2019)]. In this paper, by using first-principles calculations, we show that the BSVSP effect emerges in two-dimensional (2D) nonsymmorphic Ga$XY$ ($X$= Se, Te; $Y$= Cl, Br, I) family, a new class of 2D materials having in-plane ferroelectricity. Taking the GaTeCl monolayer as a representative example, we observe the BSVSP effect in the split bands along the $X-M$ line located in the proximity of the conduction band minimum. By using $\vec{k}\cdot\vec{p}$ Hamiltonian derived based on the symmetry analysis, we clarify that such effect is originated from the cancellation of the local spin polarization, enforced by non-pseudo-polar $C_{2v}$ point group symmetry of the wave vector along the $X-M$ line. Importantly, we find that the spin polarization can be effectively induced by applying an external out-of-plane electric field, indicating that an electrically tunable spin polarization for spintronic applications is plausible.

Local spin polarizations in relativistic heavy-ion collisions

Based on a generalized side-jump formalism for massless chiral fermions, which naturally takes into account the spin-orbit coupling in the scattering of two chiral fermions and the chiral vortical effect in a rotating chiral fermion matter, we have developed a covariant and total-angular-momentum-conserved chiral transport model to study both the global and local polarizations of this matter. For a system of massless quarks of random spin orientations and finite vorticity in a box, we have demonstrated that the model can exactly conserve the total angular momentum of the system and dynamically generate the quark spin polarization expected from a thermally equilibrated quark matter. Using this model to study the spin polarization in relativistic heavy-ion collision, we have found that the local quark spin polarizations depend strongly on the reference frame where they are evaluated as a result of the nontrivial axial charge distribution caused by the chiral vortical effect. We have further shown that because of the anomalous orbital or side-jump contribution to the quark spin polarization, the local quark polarizations calculated in the medium rest frame are qualitatively consistent with the local polarizations of Lambda hyperons measured in experiments.

Local Spin Polarization in 200 GeV Au+Au and 2.76 TeV Pb+Pb Collisions

We calculated the azimuthal angle dependence of the local spin polarization of hyperons in 200 GeV Au+Au and 2.76 TeV Pb+Pb collisions in the framework of the (3+1)D viscous hydrodynamic model CLVisc with AMPT initial conditions encoding initial orbital angular momenta. We find that the azimuthal angle dependence of the hyperon polarization strongly depends on the choice of the spin chemical potential Ωμν. With Ωμν chosen to be proportional to the temperature vorticity, our simulation shows coincidental results with the recent measurements at RHIC.

Electrically switchable hidden spin polarization in antiferroelectric crystals

Hidden spin polarization (HSP) emerges in centrosymmetric crystals where visible spin splittings in the real space can be observed because of the lack of inversion symmetry in each local sector. Starting from tight-binding models, we introduce nonsymmorphic antiferroelectric (AFE) crystals as a new class of functional materials that can exhibit strong local spin polarization. Such AFE crystals can be basically classified as in-plane and out-of-plane AFE configurations, and can be reversibly switched to the ferroelectric phase by an electric field to manifest global spin splittings, enabling a nonvolatile electrical control of spin-dependent properties. Based on first-principle calculations, we predict the realization of strong HSP in the AFE phase of a newly-discovered two-dimensional materials, quintuple-layer (QL) LiBiO$_2$. Furthermore, the spontaneous electric polarization ($\sim$ 0.3 nC/m) and the transition barrier as well as the tunable spin polarization of QL-LiBiO$_2$ are discussed.

Spin Polarizations in a Covariant Angular-Momentum-Conserved Chiral Transport Model.

Using a covariant and angular-momentum-conserved chiral transport model, which takes into account the spin-orbit interactions of chiral fermions in their scatterings via the side jumps, we study the quark spin polarization in quark matter. For a system of rotating and unpolarized massless quarks in an expanding box, we find that side jumps can dynamically polarize the quark spin and result in a final quark spin polarization consistent with that of thermally equilibrated massless quarks in a self-consistent vorticity field. For the quark matter produced in noncentral relativistic heavy ion collisions, we find that in the medium rest frame both the quark local spin polarizations in the direction perpendicular to the reaction plane and along the longitudinal beam direction show an azimuthal angle dependence in the transverse plane similar to those observed in experiments for the Lambda hyperon.

Phase-controllable nonlocal spin polarization in proximitized nanowires

We study the magnetic and superconducting proximity effects in a semiconducting nanowire (NW) attached to superconducting leads and a ferromagnetic insulator (FI). We show that a sizable equilibrium spin polarization arises in the NW due to the interplay between the superconducting correlations and the exchange field in the FI. The resulting magnetization has a nonlocal contribution that spreads in the NW over the superconducting coherence length and is opposite in sign to the local spin polarization induced by the magnetic proximity effect in the normal state. For a Josephson-junction setup, we show that the nonlocal magnetization can be controlled by the superconducting phase bias across the junction. Our findings are relevant for the implementation of Majorana bound states in state-of-the-art hybrid structures.

Electronic and Magnetic Properties of Iron Clusters Encapsulated in Carbon Nanotubes

We have made theoretical study of the electronic and magnetic properties of iron clusters encapsulated in carbon nanotubes using density functional theory. We have considered cluster encapsulated inside finite pieces of single wall zigzag nanotubes of indices (11,0) and (10,0). Finite zigzag nanotubes have a peculiar magnetic structure, the ground state is an antiferromagnetic spin singlet S=0. The local spin polarization oscillates along the direction of the nanotubes axis and is small, except at the two ends of the edges of the nanotubes. We have studied the encapsulation of iron atoms and small Fen clusters n = 2,4,8 in a short (10,0) tube. By the constraints imposed by the cylindrical geometry of a narrow nanotubes, we have considered the encapsulation of an isomer of F12 with an elongated structure. We have also considered the encapsulation of the lowest energy, icosahedral structure of Fe12. The free elongated Fe12 isomer presented a strong ferromagnetic spin coupling giving rise to a large magnetic moment. The distortion in the density of state of the iron cluster is much smaller preserving the strong ferromagnetic character. There is some p-d hybridization between the nanotubes and the cluster states, mainly around the Fermilevel. The loweswt unoccupied molecular orbital of the pristine zigzag nanotubes becomes partially occupied due to charge transfer from the cluster to the nanotubes. We have analysed the interplay between the singular magnetic properties of the finite zigzag nanotubes and the large magnetization of the encapsulated iron clusters. The calculations indicated that the magnetism is confined within the iron aggregates, with small reduction of the magnetic moment per atom with respect to the free iron clusters. The magnetic moment per atom result enhanced with respect to those of bulk iron, due to the reduced coordination of the metal atoms. The obtained results were found in good agreement with previously obtained results.

Nucleon spin polarization in intermediate-energy heavy-ion collisions

Based on a spin-dependent Boltzmann-Uehling-Uhlenbeck transport model with spin-dependent potentials incorporated using the lattice Hamiltonian method, we have studied the global spin polarization perpendicular to the reaction plane as well as the local spin polarization in the longitudinal direction in non-central intermediate-energy heavy-ion collisions, as an extension of similar studies in relativistic heavy-ion collisions. Both the global and the local spin polarizations are found to be mostly dominated by the time-odd component of the nuclear spin-orbit potential. Impacts of various theoretical uncertainties on the nucleon spin polarization as well as its dependence on the beam energy and impact parameter are discussed. Our study serves as a baseline for understanding the spin polarization mechanism of strongly interacting matter produced in heavy-ion collisions dominated by nucleon degree of freedom.

Local spin polarization in high energy heavy ion collisions

We revisit the azimuthal angle dependence of the local spin polarization of hyperons in heavy-ion collisions at 200 GeV in the framework of the (3+1)D viscous hydrodynamic model CLVisc. Two different initial conditions are considered in our simulation: the optical Glauber initial condition without initial orbital angular momentum and the AMPT initial condition with an initial orbital angular momentum. We find that the azimuthal angle dependence of the hyperon polarization strongly depends on the choice of the so-called "spin chemical potential" $\Omega_{\mu\nu}$. With $\Omega_{\mu\nu}$ chosen to be proportional to the temperature vorticity, our simulation shows qualitatively coincidental results with the recent measurements at RHIC for both the longitudinal and transverse polarization. We argue that such a coincidence may be related to the fact that the temperature vorticity is approximately conserved in the hot quark-gluon matter.

Magnetic circular dichroism in hard x-ray Raman scattering as a probe of local spin polarization

We argue that the magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) of the hard x-ray Raman scattering (XRS) could be used as an element selective probe of local spin polarization. The magnitude of the XRS-MCD signal is directly proportional to the local spin polarization when the angle between the incident wavevector and the magnetization vector is $135^{\circ}$ or $-45^{\circ}$. By comparing the experimental observation and the configuration interaction calculation at the $L_{2,3}$ and $M_{2,3}$ edges of ferromagnetic iron, we suggest that the integrated MCD signal in terms of the transferred energy could be used to estimate the local spin moment even in the case where the application of the spin sum-rule in X-ray absorption is questionable. We also point out that XRS-MCD signal could be observed at the $M_{1}$ edge with a magnitude comparable to that at the $M_{2,3}$ edge, although the spin-orbit coupling is absent in the core orbital. By combining the XRS-MCD at various edges, spin polarization distribution depending on the orbital magnetic quantum number would be determined.

Tuning the electronic and magnetic properties of Mn-doped graphene by gas adsorption and effect of external electric field: First-principles study

The effect of gas molecule (H2CO, NO, NO2, O2 and SO2) adsorption on the electronic and magnetic properties of Mn-doped graphene (MnG) is investigated by first-principles calculations in the framework of density functional theory (DFT). Our study reveals that after H2CO, NO, NO2 and SO2 adsorption, MnG transforms from half-metal to semiconductor, and this transformation indicates that MnG’s conductivity is changed significantly. Meanwhile, O2 adsorption has no influence on MnG’s original electronic property. Therefore, the substrate of MnG is highly sensitive to H2CO, NO, NO2 and SO2. The reconfiguration of electron distribution caused by gas adsorption dramatically alters the spin polarization distribution of the combined system, that is, NO2 and H2CO adsorption leads to local spin polarization, whereas O2, NO and SO2 adsorption result in complete spin polarization. In addition, the external electric field (E-field) is varied from −0.50 V/Å to +0.50 V/Å then applied to the adsorption system. A strong interaction is observed between gas and MnG with a positive E-field as reflected in the enhancement of adsorption energy. The interaction is obviously weakened by introducing the E-field in the negative direction. Hence, the adsorption strength and sensitivity of gas on MnG can be effectively tuned by the E-field. The results can serve as useful references for the design of graphene-based gas sensor.

Local magnetism in MnSiPt rules the chemical bond

Among intermetallic compounds, ternary phases with the simple stoichiometric ratio 1:1:1 form one of the largest families. More than 15 structural patterns have been observed for several hundred compounds constituting this group. This, on first glance unexpected, finding is a consequence of the complex mechanism of chemical bonding in intermetallic structures, allowing for large diversity. Their formation process can be understood based on a hierarchy of energy scales: The main share is contributed by covalent and ionic interactions in accordance with the electronic needs of the participating elements. However, smaller additional atomic interactions may still tip the scales. Here, we demonstrate that the local spin polarization of paramagnetic manganese in the new compound MnSiPt rules the adopted TiNiSi-type crystal structure. Combining a thorough experimental characterization with a theoretical analysis of the energy landscape and the chemical bonding of MnSiPt, we show that the paramagnetism of the Mn atoms suppresses the formation of Mn-Mn bonds, deciding between competing crystal structures.

Symmetry-breaking dynamics of the finite-size Lipkin-Meshkov-Glick model near ground state

We study the dynamics of the Lipkin-Meshkov-Glick (LMG) model with finite number of spins. In the thermodynamic limit, the ground state of the LMG model with isotropic Hamiltonian in broken phase breaks to a mean-field ground state with a certain direction. However, when the spins number $N$ is finite, the exact ground state is always unique and is not given by a classical mean-field ground state. Here we prove that for $N$ is large but finite, through a tiny external perturbation, a localized state which is close to a mean-field ground state can be prepared, which mimics a spontaneous symmetry breaking (SSB). Besides, we find the localized in-plane spin polarization oscillates with two different frequencies $\sim O(1/N)$, and the lifetime of the localized state is long enough to exhibit this oscillation. We numerically test the analytical results and find that they agree with each other very well. Finally, we link the phenomena to quantum time crystals and quasicrystals.

Direct evidence of hidden local spin polarization in a centrosymmetric superconductor LaO0.55 F0.45BiS2

Conventional Rashba spin polarization is caused by the combination of strong spin–orbit interaction and spatial inversion asymmetry. However, Rashba–Dresselhaus-type spin-split states are predicted in the centrosymmetric LaOBiS2 system by recent theory, which stem from the local inversion asymmetry of active BiS2 layer. By performing high-resolution spin- and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, we have investigated the electronic band structure and spin texture of superconductor LaO0.55F0.45BiS2. Here we present direct spectroscopic evidence for the local spin polarization of both the valence band and the conduction band. In particular, the coexistence of Rashba-like and Dresselhaus-like spin textures has been observed in the conduction band. The finding is of key importance for fabrication of proposed dual-gated spin-field effect transistor. Moreover, the spin-split band leads to a spin–momentum locking Fermi surface from which superconductivity emerges. Our demonstration not only expands the scope of spintronic materials but also enhances the understanding of spin–orbit interaction-related superconductivity.