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arXiv · 1108.2938

Spin Conduction in Anisotropic 3-D Topological Insulators

Vincent E. Sacksteder IV·Stefan Kettemann·QuanSheng Wu·Xi Dai·Zhong Fang
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Abstract

When topological insulators possess rotational symmetry their spin lifetime is tied to the scattering time. We show that in anisotropic TIs this tie can be broken and the spin lifetime can be very large. Two different mechanisms can obtain spin conduction over long distances. The first is tuning the Hamiltonian to conserve a spin operator $\cos ϕ\, σ_x + \sin ϕ\, σ_y$, while the second is tuning the Fermi energy to be near a local extremum of the energy dispersion. Both mechanisms can produce persistent spin helices. We report spin lifetimes and spin diffusion equations.

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Vincent E. Sacksteder IV, Stefan Kettemann, QuanSheng Wu, Xi Dai, Zhong Fang. 2012-04-29. Spin Conduction in Anisotropic 3-D Topological Insulators. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevb.85.205303

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