Electrical control of spin-polarized topological currents in monolayer WTe2

Abstract

We evidence the possibility for coherent electrical manipulation of the spin orientation of topologically protected edge states in a low-symmetry quantum spin Hall insulator. By using a combination of ab initio simulations, symmetry-based modeling, and large-scale calculations of the spin Hall conductivity, it is shown that small electric fields can efficiently vary the spin textures of edge currents in monolayer 1T'-WTe2 by up to a 90-degree spin rotation, without jeopardizing their topological character. These findings suggest a new kind of gate-controllable spin-based device, topologically protected against disorder and of relevance for the development of topological spintronics.