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Updated: Jan 9, 2026
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Experimental Methods for Spin- and Angle-Resolved Photoemission Spectroscopy Combined with Polarization-Variable Laser
Published on: June 28, 2018
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Real Space Imaging of Spin Scattering in Chirality-Induced Spin Selectivity
Jaehyun Lee1, Sang-Hyuk Lee1, Uiseok Jeong1
1Department of Physics, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), Ulsan 44919, Republic of Korea.
ACS Nano
|December 8, 2025
Summary
Chiral materials show spin polarization that aligns with current flow, not just filtering spins. This finding, observed in tellurium nanowires, offers new insights into the chirality-induced spin selectivity effect for spintronics.
Area of Science:
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Materials Science
- Spintronics
Background:
- The chirality-induced spin selectivity (CISS) effect describes how chiral materials transmit spin-polarized electrons.
- Understanding the spatial distribution of spin polarization is crucial for elucidating CISS mechanisms.
- Previous studies faced challenges due to spin-orbit coupling in metal electrodes, obscuring spin polarization in chiral systems.
Purpose of the Study:
- To experimentally determine the spatial distribution of current-induced spin polarization in chiral nanostructures.
- To investigate the underlying spin scattering mechanism in the CISS effect.
- To explore the potential of chiral materials in spintronic and quantum devices.
Main Methods:
- Utilized reflective magnetic circular dichroism (RMCD) spectroscopy.
- Employed chiral tellurium nanowires interfaced with graphene electrodes.
- Measured current-induced spin polarization and its spatial extent.
Main Results:
- Observed identical signs of spin polarization in both tellurium nanowires and graphene electrodes, contradicting the spin filter model.
- Spin polarization scaled linearly with current, aligned parallel to the current, and reversed with chirality or current direction.
- Demonstrated spin relaxation lengths extending several micrometers into the graphene electrodes.
Conclusions:
- Direct visualization of spatial spin distribution in chiral devices was achieved.
- The findings provide critical evidence for the spin scattering mechanism in CISS.
- This work paves the way for developing novel chirality-based spintronic and quantum technologies.
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