{
  "id": "0909.4253",
  "version": "v1",
  "published": "2009-09-23T17:07:32.000Z",
  "updated": "2009-09-23T17:07:32.000Z",
  "title": "Spin Accumulation in Diffusive Conductors with Rashba and Dresselhaus Spin-Orbit Interaction",
  "authors": [
    "Mathias Duckheim",
    "Daniel Loss",
    "Matthias Scheid",
    "Klaus Richter",
    "Inanc Adagideli",
    "Philippe Jacquod"
  ],
  "journal": "Phys. Rev. B 81, 085303 (2010)",
  "doi": "10.1103/PhysRevB.81.085303",
  "categories": [
    "cond-mat.mes-hall"
  ],
  "abstract": "We calculate the electrically induced spin accumulation in diffusive systems due to both Rashba (with strength $\\alpha)$ and Dresselhaus (with strength $\\beta)$ spin-orbit interaction. Using a diffusion equation approach we find that magnetoelectric effects disappear and that there is thus no spin accumulation when both interactions have the same strength, $\\alpha=\\pm \\beta$. In thermodynamically large systems, the finite spin accumulation predicted by Chaplik, Entin and Magarill, [Physica E {\\bf 13}, 744 (2002)] and by Trushin and Schliemann [Phys. Rev. B {\\bf 75}, 155323 (2007)] is recovered an infinitesimally small distance away from the singular point $\\alpha=\\pm \\beta$. We show however that the singularity is broadened and that the suppression of spin accumulation becomes physically relevant (i) in finite-sized systems of size $L$, (ii) in the presence of a cubic Dresselhaus interaction of strength $\\gamma$, or (iii) for finite frequency measurements. We obtain the parametric range over which the magnetoelectric effect is suppressed in these three instances as (i) $|\\alpha|-|\\beta| \\lesssim 1/mL$, (ii)$|\\alpha|-|\\beta| \\lesssim \\gamma p_{\\rm F}^2$, and (iii) $|\\alpha|-|\\beta| \\lesssiM \\sqrt{\\omega/m p_{\\rm F}\\ell}$ with $\\ell$ the elastic mean free path and $p_{\\rm F}$ the Fermi momentum. We attribute the absence of spin accumulation close to $\\alpha=\\pm \\beta$ to the underlying U (1) symmetry. We illustrate and confirm our predictions numerically.",
  "revisions": [
    {
      "version": "v1",
      "updated": "2009-09-23T17:07:32.000Z"
    }
  ],
  "analyses": {
    "subjects": [
      "73.23.-b",
      "72.25.Dc",
      "75.80.+q",
      "85.75.-d"
    ],
    "keywords": [
      "dresselhaus spin-orbit interaction",
      "diffusive conductors",
      "elastic mean free path",
      "diffusion equation approach",
      "magnetoelectric effects disappear"
    ],
    "tags": [
      "journal article"
    ],
    "publication": {
      "publisher": "APS",
      "journal": "Physical Review B",
      "year": 2010,
      "month": "Feb",
      "volume": 81,
      "number": 8,
      "pages": "085303"
    },
    "note": {
      "typesetting": "TeX",
      "pages": 0,
      "language": "en",
      "license": "arXiv",
      "status": "editable",
      "adsabs": "2010PhRvB..81h5303D"
    }
  }
}