Topological and altermagnetic materials: what power can be extracted from the anomalous Hall effect?

Thesis topic details

General information

Organisation

The French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) is a key player in research, development and innovation in four main areas :
• defence and security,
• nuclear energy (fission and fusion),
• technological research for industry,
• fundamental research in the physical sciences and life sciences.

Drawing on its widely acknowledged expertise, and thanks to its 16000 technicians, engineers, researchers and staff, the CEA actively participates in collaborative projects with a large number of academic and industrial partners.

The CEA is established in ten centers spread throughout France
  

Reference

SL-DRF-25-0340  

Direction

DRF

Thesis topic details

Category

Condensed Matter Physics, chemistry, nanosciences

Thesis topics

Topological and altermagnetic materials: what power can be extracted from the anomalous Hall effect?

Contract

Thèse

Job description

The major argument to promote the development of spin electronics and topological materials is the low power dissipation when using spin degrees of freedom and transverse configurations such as Hall configurations. Indeed, in the case of a topological phase, the generated effective magnetic field is expected not to dissipate. However, such an assertion must be the subject of a theoretical description in the context of a realistic electronic device in steady state. The aim of the thesis is to determine the useful power of these devices, in a study that is both experimental and theoretical.

In this context, the definition of the useful power is an open problem. Indeed, the thermodynamics of this type of non-equilibrium system involves cross effects between the degrees of freedom of the electric charge carriers, those of the spin of these carriers, as well as those of the magnetization. The non-equilibrium cross effects are described in a very general way by the famous Onsager reciprocity relations. We have developed a variational method to establish the steady state of a Hall bar and the power dissipated in a load circuit, as a function of the load resistance and the Hall angle. An unexpected result predicts the existence of a maximum ('maximum power transfer theorem'). Preliminary measurements based on the anomalous Hall effect have recently validated the prediction. This experimental confirmation allows us to establish a thesis project that aims to reproduce the measurements on a large set of materials (metals, semiconductors, oxides) and in particular magnetic topological materials, called altermagnetic.

In addition, a ferromagnetic resonance study (called spin pumping) will involve thermoelectric effects, whose dissipative properties, measured on an adjacent load circuit, remain to be determined.

University / doctoral school

Ecole Doctorale de l’Institut Polytechnique de Paris (IP Paris)
Ecole Polytechnique

Thesis topic location

Site

Saclay

Requester

Position start date

01/10/2025

Person to be contacted by the applicant

DESBUIS Valentin valentin.desbuis@polytechnique.edu
Ecole Polytechnique
IRAMIS/LSI

Tutor / Responsible thesis director

WEGROWE Jean-Eric jean-eric.wegrowe@polytechnique.fr
CEA
DRF/IRAMIS/LSI/LSI
Ecole Polytechnique
0169334555

En savoir plus

https://www.polytechnique.edu/annuaire/wegrowe-jean-eric
https://portail.polytechnique.edu/lsi/fr/research/physique-et-chimie-des-nano-objets