Electrical Regulation of Transverse Spin Currents in Unconventional Magnetic Ferroeletrics

Abstract

We identify hexagonal YMnO$_3$ as a material realization of the elusive $\beta$-phase of unconventional magnetism, a noncollinear, noncoplanar antiferromagnetic state defined by intrinsic spin-momentum locking and a topological spin texture. First-principle calculations reveal that this unique electronic structure enables a perpendicular electric field to generate a transverse pure spin current, a response that occurs without requiring relativistic spin-orbit coupling. Symmetry analysis demonstrates that this spin current is intimately related to the material's ferroelectric polarization that breaks the inversion symmetry and is rigorously forbidden at domain walls where electrical polarization vanishes. This provides a blueprint for a non-volatile transistor where a gate voltage switches the spin current conductivity by controlling domain wall density, enabling all-electrical control for energy-efficient antiferromagnetic spintronics.