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Identifying the origin of out-of-plane spin polarization in the noncollinear antiferromagnet Mn3Ge

Mingxing Wu1,2,*, Kouta Kondou2, Taishi Chen3, Satoru Nakatsuji1,4,5, and YoshiChika Otani1,2,4,5,†

  • *Contact author: mingxing.wu@mat.ethz.ch
  • †Contact author: yotani@issp.u-tokyo.ac.jp

Phys. Rev. B 114, L020403 – Published 22 July, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/kpj1-yrwh

Abstract

The noncollinear antiferromagnets Mn3X (X=Sn, Ge) emerge as promising spin-current sources with both in-plane and out-of-plane spin polarizations, thereby enabling field-free magnetization switching. However, the microscopic origin of the out-of-plane spin polarization remains under debate, specifically whether it arises from the magnetic spin Hall effect (MSHE) or the spin swapping (SSW). Here, we comparatively evaluate the spin torques in single-crystal Mn3Ge/Py bilayers with different crystallographic orientations using the ferromagnetic resonance technique. The distinct angular dependences of the measured spin-torque signals provide clear evidence for the bulk MSHE, which depends on antiferromagnetic order. In addition, we identify the antiferromagnetic-order independent component originating from the interfacial SSW. The coexisting MSHE and SSW, with comparable magnitudes, give rise to the out-of-plane spin polarization. Our study disentangles the origins of spin-torque generation in noncollinear antiferromagnets, providing valuable insights for their spintronic applications.

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

synopsis

Why Flowing Spins Polarize Up or Down

Published 22 July, 2026

Researchers have figured out the origin of an exotic antiferromagnet’s out-of-plane spin currents.

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