Spin-Hall and spin-diagonal conductivity in the presence of Rashba and Dresselhaus spin-orbit coupling

Abstract

We investigate the spin-current linear response conductivity tensor to an electric field in a paramagnetic two dimensonal electron gas with both Rashba and Dresselhaus spin-orbit coupling in the weak scattering regime. In the ususal case where both spin-orbit-split bands are occupied, we find that the spin-Hall conductivity depends only on the sign of the difference in magnitude of the Rashba and Dresselhaus coupling strengths except within a narrow window where both coupling strengths are equal. We also find a new effect in which a spin current is generated in the direction of the driving field whenever the Dresselhaus spin-orbit coupling is nonzero. We discuss experimental implications of this finding taking into account the finite mobility and typical parameters of current samples and possible experimental set ups for its detection.