Spin relaxation in $X$-wave magnets with $X=p, d, f, g, i$

Abstract

Spin relaxation results in the spin decoherence and a finite spin lifetime, which are detrimental to spintronic devices. To achieve a long spin lifetime desirable for spintronic devices, elucidating the spin relaxation mechanism and factors influencing the spin lifetime is of vital importance. Here, we investigate the spin relaxation in $X$-wave magnets ($X=p, d, f, g, i$) with Rashba spin-orbit coupling within the framework of D'yakonov-Perel' mechanism. We calculate the general matrix of the spin relaxation time for an arbitrary N\'eel vector direction of the $X$-wave magnet. As an illustration, we study the spin relaxation for the N\'eel vector along the $[001]$ direction. It is found that the reciprocal spin-relaxation-time matrices are anisotropic and diagonal for the $d$-, $f$-, $g$- and $i$-wave magnets. For the $p$-wave magnet, we derive the analytical expressions for the temporal evolution of spins. Moreover, the spin relaxation rate is proportional to the momentum relaxation time, Rashba and altermagnetic spin-split strengths for all $X$-wave magnets. Our results shine more light on the fundamental understanding of the spin relaxation mechanism in $X$-wave magnets.