• Accepted Paper

Spin-axis dynamic locking

Zhiheng Lv, Jiangtao Cai, Dengpan Ma, Yan Xing, and Zhifeng Liu

Phys. Rev. Lett. - Accepted 15 September, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/6ypc-bbs7

Abstract

The all-electrical realization of highly spin-polarized currents and their efficient conversion into pure spin currents remains a fundamental challenge in spintronics. Here, we report a spin-axis dynamic locking (SADL) effect in altermagnets that pins the high and dynamically robust spin polarization to the crystalline axes: an in-plane electric field along one principal axis drives a highly spin-up-polarized current, whereas along the orthogonal axis, it generates a symmetry-enforced, equal-magnitude spin-down current. Consequently, applying an electric field diagonally yields a transverse pure spin current, reaching 100% charge-to-spin conversion in the ideal limit. Mechanistically, SADL originates from a spin-split band structure whose Lifshitz transitions delimit an open-Fermi-line regime. The momentum-separated Fermi lines carry orthogonal nonzero winding vectors, producing a pronounced velocity contrast while suppressing ordinary backscattering to dynamically stabilize the axial spin selectivity. High-throughput first-principles screening confirms SADL in broad materials. Notably, monolayer Cr2WSe4 and synthesized bulk (BaF)2Mn2Se2O exhibit efficiencies close to the ideal limit, paving the way for ultra-low-power, reconfigurable spintronic devices where the spin states are governed solely by electric field orientation.

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