Universal symmetry-protected persistent spin textures in noncentrosymmetric crystals

Berkay Kilic, Sergio Alvarruiz, Evgenii Barts, Bertjan Dijk, Paolo Barone and Jagoda Sławińska ()
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Berkay Kilic: University of Groningen
Sergio Alvarruiz: University of Groningen
Evgenii Barts: University of Groningen
Bertjan Dijk: University of Groningen
Paolo Barone: Area della Ricerca di Tor Vergata
Jagoda Sławińska: University of Groningen

Nature Communications, 2025, vol. 16, issue 1, 1-8

Abstract: Abstract The significance of Mendeleev’s periodic table extends beyond the classification of elements; it lies in its remarkable predictive power for discovering new elements and properties, revealing the underlying symmetrical patterns of nature that were only fully understood with the advent of quantum mechanics. Fundamental material properties, such as electron transport and magnetism, are also governed by crystal symmetry. In particular, spin transport depends on the spin polarization of electronic states, and recently discovered materials where the electron spin polarization is independent of momentum–a property known as persistent spin texture (PST)–promise extended spin lifetime and efficient spin accumulation. In this paper, we establish the general conditions for the existence of symmetry-protected PST in bulk crystals. By systematically analyzing all noncentrosymmetric crystallographic space groups, similar to elements in the periodic table, we demonstrate that PST is universally present in all nonmagnetic solids lacking inversion symmetry except those in the trivial space group P1. Using group theory, we identify the regions within the Brillouin zone that host PST and determine the corresponding directions of spin polarization. Our findings, supported by first-principles calculations of representative materials, open the route for discovering robust spintronic materials based on PST.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-63136-4

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