Edelstein effects, spin-transfer torque, and spin pumping caused by pristine surface states of topological insulators

TL;DR

This paper investigates the Edelstein effect, spin-transfer torque, and spin pumping caused by pristine surface states of topological insulators using a semiclassical approach, revealing their independence from chemical potential and temperature, and their dependence on interface quality.

Contribution

It introduces a semiclassical framework to analyze surface state-induced spin phenomena in topological insulators, including spin accumulation, torque, and pumping, highlighting their unique characteristics and experimental consistency.

Findings

Surface spin accumulation is independent of chemical potential and temperature.

Spin-transfer torque is purely field-like and sensitive to interface quality.

Spin pumping is described by the same spin mixing conductance as spin torque.

Abstract

The Edelstein effect caused by the pristine surface states of three-dimensional topological insulators is investigated by means of a semiclassical approach. The combined effect of random impurity scattering and the spin-momentum locking of the gapless Dirac cone yields a current-induced surface spin accumulation independent from chemical potential and temperature. In a nearby ferromagnet that does not make direct contact with the topological insulator, the bound state nature of the pristine surface state causes a spin-transfer torque that is entirely field-like, whose magnitude is highly influenced by the interface cleanliness and the quantum well state of the ferromagnet. Through incorporating quantum tunneling into Bloch equation, the spin pumping mediated by the pristine surface state is shown to be described by the same spin mixing conductance as the spin-transfer torque, and a semiclassical approach is proposed to explain the inverse Edelstein effect that converts the spin pumping spin current into a charge current. Consistency of these results with various experiments will be elaborated in detail.