Charge and spin transport in nanoscopic structures with spin-orbit coupling

TL;DR

This paper investigates how spin-orbit coupling influences charge and spin transport in nanostructures, highlighting effects like edge spin polarization and the role of confinement in quantum wires.

Contribution

It demonstrates the development of edge spin polarization in 2DEGs with Rashba coupling at low densities and discusses the impact of lateral confinement in quantum wires.

Findings

Edge spin polarization occurs in 2DEGs with Rashba coupling at low densities.

Lateral confinement significantly affects spin polarization in quantum wires.

Spin Hall effect can be induced by strong spin-orbit coupling in nanostructures.

Abstract

During the last years there has been much interest, and theoretical discussion, about the possibility to use spin-orbit coupling to control the carriers spins in two-dimensional semiconducting heterostructures. Spin polarization at the sample edges may occur as the response of systems with strong SO-coupling to an external transport current, an effect known as spin Hall effect. Here, we show that in a 2DEG with Rashba SO-coupling, spin polarization near the sample edge can develop kinematically for low electron densities. We also discuss the effect in quantum wires where lateral confinement plays an important role.