Observation of spin-orbit effects with spin rotation symmetry

The spin-orbit interaction enables interconversion between a charge current and a spin current. It is usually believed that in a nonmagnetic metal (NM) or at a NM/ferromagnetic metal (FM) bilayer interface, the symmetry of spin-orbit effects requires that the spin current, charge current, and spin orientation are all orthogonal to each other. Here we demonstrate the presence of spin-orbit effects near the NM/FM interface that exhibit a very different symmetry, hereafter referred to as spin-rotation symmetry, from the conventional spin Hall effect while the spin polarization is rotating about the magnetization. These results imply that a perpendicularly polarized spin current can be generated with an in-plane charge current simply by use of a FM/NM bilayer with magnetization collinear to the charge current. The ability to generate a spin current with arbitrary polarization using typical magnetic materials will benefit the development of magnetic memories.Converting charge to spin currents using spin-orbit interactions has useful applications in spintronics but symmetry constraints can limit the control over spin polarization. Here the authors demonstrate spin-orbit effects with a different symmetry, which could help generate arbitrary spin polarizations.