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Phase diagram of the spin Hall effect
1Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri 65211, USA. hankiewicz@fordham.edu
Physical Review Letters
|February 1, 2008
Summary
We derived formulas for spin-Hall conductivity in a 2DEG, showing magnetic fields restore conductivity mechanisms like skew scattering and side jump, which vanish without a field.
Area of Science:
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Spintronics
- Quantum Mechanics
Background:
- The spin-Hall effect (SHE) is crucial for spintronics, enabling spin current generation.
- Understanding SHE in two-dimensional electron gases (2DEGs) with spin-orbit interactions is vital for device applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To derive analytic formulas for frequency-dependent spin-Hall conductivity in a 2DEG.
- To investigate the influence of impurities, Rashba spin-orbit interaction, and magnetic fields on SHE.
- To analyze the contributions of skew scattering, side jump, and spin precession mechanisms.
Main Methods:
- Derivation of analytic formulas for spin-Hall conductivity.
- Analysis of frequency-dependent behavior.
- Investigation of parameter dependencies (magnetic field, temperature, frequency).
Main Results:
- The dc spin-Hall conductivity is found to vanish in the absence of a magnetic field.
- A perpendicular magnetic field restores skew scattering and side jump contributions.
- The restored contributions are proportional to the ratio of magnetic and Rashba fields.
- Controllable parameters (frequency, magnetic field, temperature) can tune different SHE mechanisms.
Conclusions:
- Analytic formulas provide a framework for understanding frequency-dependent SHE in 2DEGs.
- Magnetic fields play a critical role in enabling and controlling the spin-Hall effect.
- The interplay between spin-orbit interaction and magnetic fields offers tunable spintronic functionalities.
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