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arXiv · 2609.01844

Symmetry-selective nonrelativistic spin splitting in antiferromagnets driven by coherent phonons

Sangeeta Rajpurohit·Mohsen Yarmohammadi·Sheikh Rubaiat Ul Haque·Tony F. Heinz·Aaron M. Lindenberg·Tadashi Ogitsu
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Abstract

Nonrelativistic spin splitting (NRSS) in antiferromagnets (AFMs) enables magnetization-free spin polarization for ultrafast spintronics. Here, we demonstrate that coherent phonons can dynamically induce and control NRSS in collinear AFMs. Excitation of $\Gamma$-point infrared-active phonons lifts the spin degeneracy of the ground state, while the residual sublattice-connecting symmetries determine the momentum-space form of the induced splitting. Because the relevant infrared modes couple to orthogonal in-plane light polarizations, distinct spin-split phases can be selectively activated by the polarization of the driving field. Using first-principles calculations for MnPS$_3$, we show that a mode that breaks all sublattice-connecting symmetries induces an $s$-wave spin-split state with $\Delta(\Gamma)\neq0$, whereas a symmetry-distinct mode that preserves a sublattice-connecting mirror symmetry generates a $d$-wave altermagnetic state with $\Delta(\Gamma)=0$. In both cases, the spin splitting grows linearly with the phonon amplitude and reverses the induced spin polarization when the displacement is reversed. Our results establish coherent lattice driving as a direct, polarization- and mode-selective route to dynamically induce distinct NRSS phases in AFMs.

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Sangeeta Rajpurohit, Mohsen Yarmohammadi, Sheikh Rubaiat Ul Haque, Tony F. Heinz, Aaron M. Lindenberg, Tadashi Ogitsu. 2026-09-01. Symmetry-selective nonrelativistic spin splitting in antiferromagnets driven by coherent phonons. https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.01844

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