Spin polarisation by current

TL;DR

This paper reviews the phenomenon of current-induced spin polarization in gyrotropic semiconductor nanostructures, discussing experimental findings and providing theoretical models based on phenomenological and Boltzmann equation approaches.

Contribution

It offers a comprehensive overview of the experimental and theoretical understanding of spin polarization effects like Edelstein effect in semiconductor nanostructures.

Findings

Detailed phenomenological model of spin-dependent relaxation processes

Theoretical description using quasi-classical Boltzmann equation

Clarification of the inverse spin-galvanic effect in gyrotropic structures

Abstract

This is an overview of current-induced spin polarization in gyrotropic semiconductor nanostructures. Such a spin polarization as response to a charge current may be classified as the inverse of the spin-galvanic effect, and sometimes is called as magneto-electrical effect or Edelstein (Rashba-Edelstein) effect. Apart from reviewing the experimental status of affairs, we have provided a detailed theoretical description of both effects in terms of a phenomenological model of spin-dependent relaxation processes, and an alternative theoretical approach based on the quasi-classical Boltzmann equation.