Chirality-dependent spin current generation in a helimagnet: zero-field probe of chirality

Abstract: In a magnetic texture, the spin of a conduction electron is forced to be aligned to the localized moment. As a result, the topology of the magnetic texture affects the electron dynamics in nontrivial ways. A representative example is the topological Hall effect in noncoplanar spin textures with finite spin chirality. While propagating in the noncoplanar spin texture, electrons acquire Berry phase, and their motion is deflected as if they were in a magnetic field. Here, we report a distinct Berry phase effect in a coplanar helimagnet: the spin moment of the conduction electron is polarized under electric currents depending on the chirality of the helimagnet. The accumulated spin polarization works as a source of spin current, and the chirality can be detected by the inverse spin Hall mechanism. The functionality allows us to read out the chirality without magnetic fields, and therefore paves the way to future helimagnet-based spintronics.