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Covariant conservation laws and the spin Hall effect in Dirac-Rashba systems
- Source :
- Phys. Rev. Lett. 119, 246801 (2017)
- Publication Year :
- 2017
-
Abstract
- We present a theoretical analysis of two-dimensional Dirac-Rashba systems in the presence of disorder and external perturbations. We unveil a set of exact symmetry relations (Ward identities) that impose strong constraints on the spin dynamics of Dirac fermions subject to proximity-induced interactions. This allows us to demonstrate that an arbitrary dilute concentration of scalar impurities results in the total suppression of nonequilibrium spin Hall currents when only Rashba spin-orbit coupling is present. Remarkably, a finite spin Hall conductivity is restored when the minimal Dirac-Rashba model is supplemented with a spin-valley interaction. The Ward identities provide a systematic way to predict the emergence of the spin Hall effect in a wider class of Dirac-Rashba systems of experimental relevance and represent an important benchmark for testing the validity of numerical methodologies.<br />Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures + supplemental material (5 pages); accepted version
- Subjects :
- Condensed Matter - Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics
Subjects
Details
- Database :
- arXiv
- Journal :
- Phys. Rev. Lett. 119, 246801 (2017)
- Publication Type :
- Report
- Accession number :
- edsarx.1705.08898
- Document Type :
- Working Paper
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.119.246801