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Spin-dependent transport in uranium

Given the challenges in experimental studies of uranium, the heaviest naturally occurring metal, we present first-principles calculation for the spin-dependent transport. Showing the largest atomic spin-orbit coupling we explore the ability of various crystal phases to maximize the charge-to-spin co...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Physical review. B 2020-06, Vol.101 (22), p.1, Article 224411
Main Authors: Wu, M.-H., Rossignol, H., Gradhand, M.
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:Given the challenges in experimental studies of uranium, the heaviest naturally occurring metal, we present first-principles calculation for the spin-dependent transport. Showing the largest atomic spin-orbit coupling we explore the ability of various crystal phases to maximize the charge-to-spin conversion using a fully relativistic Korringa-Kohn-Rostoker Green's function method. The transport theory is based on a semiclassical description where intrinsic and extrinsic, skew scattering, contributions can be separated easily. In addition to the various crystal phases we analyze the effect of substitutional impurities for γ , hcp, as well as the α phase. We predict a very high, 104(Ωcm)−1, spin Hall conductivity for the metastable hcp-U phase, a giant value five times larger than for the conventional spin Hall material Pt. We estimated an efficiency of charge-to-spin current conversion of up to 30%. The spin diffusion length, a crucial parameter in any application, is predicted to be in the range from 3 to 6.5 nm, compatible with other charge-to-spin conversion materials. Relating our work to the sparse experimental results, our calculations suggest a γ phase in the thin film rather than the experimentally expected α phase.
ISSN:2469-9950
2469-9969
DOI:10.1103/PhysRevB.101.224411