Strain-induced nonrelativistic altermagnetic spin splitting effect

Abstract

Recent studies reveal that $\mathcal{T}$-odd spin currents generated via the nonrelativistic altermagnetic spin splitting effect (ASSE) exhibit significant potential for spintronics applications, with both computational and experimental validations. Addressing the scarcity of conductive altermagnets, we propose strain engineering as a reliable method for inducing altermagnetism. Focusing on rutile-structured $\mathrm{OsO}_2$, first-principles calculations show that minor equibiaxial tensile strain ($\mathcal{E}_{\mathrm{ts}}$=3\%) induces nonmagnetic-to-altermagnetic transitions, achieving an ASSE-driven spin-charge conversion ratio ($\theta_{\text{AS}}$) of $\sim$7\% -- far surpassing conventional spin Hall angles ($\theta_{\text{IS}}$). Calculations reveal that substantial $\theta_{\text{AS}}$ persists even in the absence of spin-orbit coupling, with its magnitude positively correlating to nonrelativistic spin splitting magnitude, which further confirms the strain-induced ASSE's nonrelativistic origin. Further investigation reveals that $\mathrm{RuO}_2$ exhibits analogous phenomena, which may resolve recent controversies regarding its magnetic properties. Our research opens new simple pathways for developing next-generation altermagnetic spintronic devices.