An alternative mechanism for current-induced antisymmetric lateral edge spin accumulations in ballistic two-dimensional electron gases

作者：Cao, Xijin; Hu, Liangbin^*; Huang, Haitao; Liu, Youliang

来源：Physics Letters A, 2008, 372(10): 1701-1706.

DOI：10.1016/j.physleta.2007.10.024

• current-induced lateral edge spin accumulations
• spin-orbit coupling
• time-reversal symmetry-breaking

In this Letter an alternative mechanism is proposed for current-induced antisymmetric lateral edge spin accumulations in thin strips of ballistic two-dimensional electron gases with intrinsic spin-orbit coupling. In this mechanism, the occurrence of current-induced antisymmetric lateral edge spin accumulations in a semiconductor strip is not due to a transverse spin current but originates from the combined action of the spin-orbit coupling, the boundary confinement on both lateral edges of the strip, and the time-reversal symmetry-breaking caused by the longitudinal charge current circulating through the strip. The results obtained in this Letter indicate that, the occurrence of current-induced antisymmetric lateral edge spin accumulations in a thin strip of a spin-orbit coupled two-dimensional electronic system does not need to be associated necessarily with a transverse spin current in principle.

• 出版日期2008-3-3
• 单位华南师范大学