Strain-induced nonlinear spin Hall effect in topological Dirac semimetal

Area of Science:

• Condensed matter physics
• Materials science
• Spintronics

Background:

• Topological Dirac semimetals exhibit unique electronic properties.
• Strain engineering is a method to modify material properties.
• Spin Hall effect involves generating a spin current perpendicular to an electric current.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the induction of spin Hall current in strained topological Dirac semimetals.
• To explore the relationship between electric field, strain, and spin transport.
• To understand the underlying mechanism of the nonlinear spin Hall effect.

Main Methods:

• Theoretical investigation using chiral kinetic theory.
• Semiclassical analysis of electron and spin transport.
• Modeling the effect of strain as an effective axial magnetic field.

Main Results:

• An electric field induces a spin Hall current quadratic in the electric field strength.
• The nonlinear spin Hall effect arises from the interplay of regular and anomalous Hall effects.
• Strain acts as an effective axial magnetic field influencing electron dynamics.

Conclusions:

• The study reveals a novel nonlinear spin Hall effect in strained topological Dirac semimetals.
• This effect provides an efficient route for generating highly spin-polarized currents.
• The generated spin current is tunable via gate voltage and applied strain.