arXiv · 2112.11043
Spin accumulation without spin current
Abstract
The spin Hall (SH) effect is a phenomenon in which the spin current flows perpendicular to an applied electric field and causes the spin accumulation at the boundaries. However, in the presence of spin-orbit couplings, the spin current is not well defined. Here, we calculate the spin response to an electric-field gradient, which naturally appears at the boundaries. We derive a generic formula using the Bloch wave functions and the phenomenological relaxation time. We also calculate the response for the uniform Rashba model with $\delta$-function nonmagnetic disorder within the first-order Born approximation and corresponding vertex corrections. We find the nonzero spin accumulation, although the SH conductivity exactly vanishes.
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Atsuo Shitade, Gen Tatara. 2021-12-21. Spin accumulation without spin current. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevb.105.l201202
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