Dated: February 2, 2008 | Jairo Sinova,1,2 Dimitrie Culcer,2 Q. Niu,2 N. A. Sinitsyn,1 T. Jungwirth,2,3 and A.H. MacDonald2
The paper introduces a new effect in semiconductor spintronics, the Universal Intrinsic Spin-Hall Effect (UISE), which leads to dissipationless spin-currents in paramagnetic systems with strong Rashba spin-orbit coupling. In high-mobility two-dimensional electron systems (2DES) with substantial Rashba coupling, the authors argue that a spin-current flowing perpendicular to the charge current is intrinsic. This intrinsic spin-Hall conductivity has a universal value of \( \frac{e}{8\pi} \) when both spin-orbit split bands are occupied, independent of the 2DES density and Rashba coupling strength. The effect arises from the time-dependent effective magnetic field experienced by the spins due to their motion in momentum space. The authors also discuss the implications of this effect for semiconductor spintronics, suggesting new directions for research, and provide a detailed theoretical analysis using the Bloch equation and the Kubo formula. They highlight that the universality of the UISE is robust against disorder up to a certain threshold, where the disorder broadening exceeds the spin-orbit coupling splitting.The paper introduces a new effect in semiconductor spintronics, the Universal Intrinsic Spin-Hall Effect (UISE), which leads to dissipationless spin-currents in paramagnetic systems with strong Rashba spin-orbit coupling. In high-mobility two-dimensional electron systems (2DES) with substantial Rashba coupling, the authors argue that a spin-current flowing perpendicular to the charge current is intrinsic. This intrinsic spin-Hall conductivity has a universal value of \( \frac{e}{8\pi} \) when both spin-orbit split bands are occupied, independent of the 2DES density and Rashba coupling strength. The effect arises from the time-dependent effective magnetic field experienced by the spins due to their motion in momentum space. The authors also discuss the implications of this effect for semiconductor spintronics, suggesting new directions for research, and provide a detailed theoretical analysis using the Bloch equation and the Kubo formula. They highlight that the universality of the UISE is robust against disorder up to a certain threshold, where the disorder broadening exceeds the spin-orbit coupling splitting.