Inverse spin Hall effect in Cr: Independence of antiferromagnetic ordering

Chromium is a 3d spin density wave antiferromagnetic (AF) metal with a Néel temperature of 311 K. By using the thermal spin injection method, we have observed large inverse spin Hall voltage in Cr. With negligible magnetic proximity effect and a large spin Hall angle, Cr is a superior intrinsic pure spin current detector than many 5d metals. Even more strikingly, the temperature dependent thermal spin injection measurements show that the large spin Hall angle in Cr is independent of the AF ordering and indicating that the inverse spin Hall effect is unrelated to AF ordering in Cr.