Unveiling the nonrelativistic spin current polarization in an altermagnet

Abstract: Spin current plays a central role in spintronics for driving exotic spin-dependent phenomena and high-performance device applications. Recently, a magnetic spin Hall effect has been discovered in spin-split antiferromagnets including noncollinear antiferromagnets and altermagnets, allowing the efficient generation of unconventional spin currents even in the absence of spin-orbit coupling. However, although such nonrelativistic spin currents are proposed to have a magnetic origin, the direct connection between the Neel vector and the spin current polarization is still missing. Here, using the altermagnetic RuO2 as a representative example, we unveil the spin current polarization by disentangling the conventional and magnetic spin Hall effects using a technique we developed based on the spin Hall magnetoresistance measurement. The results suggest that the nonrelativistic spin current hosts a polarization very close to the Neel vector. Our work offers unambiguous evidence of the magnetic origin of the nonrelativistic spin current in altermagnetic RuO2, and paves a straightforward route to understand the unconventional spin currents that are crucial in spintronics.