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Summary
The study explores the effect of spin-orbit coupling on charge and spin transport in nanoscopic structures, including 2D electron gases and quantum wires, and finds that spin polarization can occur at sample edges due to the spin Hall effect.
Highlights
- Spin-orbit coupling can control carrier spins in 2D semiconducting heterostructures.
- The spin Hall effect can occur in 2D electron gases with Rashba spin-orbit coupling.
- Lateral confinement plays an important role in the spin Hall effect in quantum wires.
- Edge corrugation and sample geometry can affect the spin Hall effect.
- Constrictions or quantum point contacts can polarize currents passing through them.
- Spin polarized currents can be generated without magnetic fields or magnetic-semiconducting interfaces.
Key Insights
- The spin Hall effect is a result of the interplay between the Rashba coupling, sample edges, and transport currents, leading to an out-of-plane spin component.
- In 2D electron gases, the spin Hall effect can be robust against disorder or edge corrugation, but sensitive to sample geometry and lateral confinement.
- The spin polarization of currents passing through constrictions or quantum point contacts is controlled by the smoothness of the potential and the number of channels contributing to the conductance.
- Large structures, such as lateral cavities or constrictions, can locally amplify the spin Hall effect and generate spin polarized currents.
- The detection of spin polarized currents is a challenging task, but lateral electron focusing in systems with strong spin-orbit coupling can be an effective tool for quantitative analysis.
- The study's findings have implications for the development of spintronics devices that utilize spin-orbit coupling to control carrier spins.
- Further research is needed to explore the effects of spin-orbit coupling on charge and spin transport in various nanoscopic structures and devices.
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Citation
Reynoso, A. A., Usaj, G., & Balseiro, C. A. (2024). Charge and spin transport in nanoscopic structures with spin-orbit coupling. arXiv. https://doi.org/10.48550/ARXIV.2412.20970