Spin current as a response to external stress

TL;DR

This paper predicts that traveling shear waves can generate spin currents in specific semiconductors, driven by a geometric phase related to strain-induced Rashba effects, revealing a novel spin-mechanical coupling mechanism.

Contribution

It introduces a theoretical framework showing how shear waves induce spin currents via a geometric phase in direct-gap semiconductors.

Findings

Spin current is generated by shear waves in certain semiconductors.

The effect is linked to a geometric phase in the Fermi-Dirac sea.

The phenomenon involves strain-induced Rashba parameters.

Abstract

It is theoretically predicted that a traveling shear wave will create a spin current in certain direct-gap (for example III-V compound) semiconductors with contributions from both the valence bands and the conduction band (for $n$-doped semiconductors). We show that this spin-current is a property of the Fermi-Dirac sea, and is controlled by a geometric phase accumulated by the strain-induced Rashba parameters in a cycle.