Unified Semi-Classical Description of Intrinsic Spin-Hall Effect in Spintronic, Optical, and Graphene Systems

TL;DR

This paper presents a unified semi-classical framework for understanding the intrinsic spin-Hall effect across various systems, clarifying its physical mechanism and proposing an analogous effect in bilayer graphene.

Contribution

It develops a heuristic semi-classical model derived from quantum mechanics that unifies the spin-Hall effect in spintronics, optics, and graphene systems.

Findings

Unified description of SHE across multiple systems

Intuitive expression for spin-Hall current and conductivity

Proposal of an analogous SHE in bilayer graphene

Abstract

A semi-classical description of the intrinsic spin-Hall effect (SHE) is presented which is relevant for a wide class of systems. A heuristic model for the SHE is developed, starting with a fully quantum mechanical treatment, from which we construct an intuitive expression for the spin-Hall current and conductivity. Our method makes transparent the physical mechanism which drives the effect, and unifies the SHE across several spintronic and optical systems. Finally, we propose an analogous effect in bilayer graphene.