Intrinsic anomalous spin Hall effect

Abstract

Charge-spin interconversion in magnetic materials is investigated by using first-principles calculations. In addition to the conventional spin Hall effect (SHE) that requires mutual orthogonality of the charge current, spin-flow direction, and spin polarization, the recently proposed anomalous SHE (ASHE) is confirmed in Mn2Au and WTe2. The interaction of the order parameter with conduction electrons leads to sizeable nonzero spin Berry curvatures that give rise to nonzero anomalous spin Hall conductivity (ASHC). Our calculations show that the ASHE is intrinsic and originates from the order-parameter-controlled spin-orbit interaction, which generates an extra anomalous effective field. A useful relationship among the order parameter, spin Berry curvature and ASHC is revealed. Our findings open a new avenue for arbitrary-type spin current generation and detection.