TY - JOUR
T1 - Spin-polarized electric currents in quantum transport through tubular two-dimensional electron gases
AU - Entin-Wohlman, O.
AU - Aharony, A.
AU - Tokura, Y.
AU - Avishai, Y.
PY - 2010/2/26
Y1 - 2010/2/26
N2 - Scattering theory is employed to derive a Landauer-type formula for the spin and the charge currents, through a finite region where spin-orbit interactions are effective. It is shown that the transmission matrix yields the spatial direction and the magnitude of the spin polarization. This formula is used to study the currents through a tubular two-dimensional electron gas. In this cylindrical geometry, which may be realized in experiment, the transverse conduction channels are not mixed (provided that the spin-orbit coupling is uniform). It is then found that for modest boundary scattering, each step in the quantized conductance is split into two, and the new steps have a nonzero spin conductance with the spin polarization perpendicular to the direction of the current.
AB - Scattering theory is employed to derive a Landauer-type formula for the spin and the charge currents, through a finite region where spin-orbit interactions are effective. It is shown that the transmission matrix yields the spatial direction and the magnitude of the spin polarization. This formula is used to study the currents through a tubular two-dimensional electron gas. In this cylindrical geometry, which may be realized in experiment, the transverse conduction channels are not mixed (provided that the spin-orbit coupling is uniform). It is then found that for modest boundary scattering, each step in the quantized conductance is split into two, and the new steps have a nonzero spin conductance with the spin polarization perpendicular to the direction of the current.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=77954882867&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1103/PhysRevB.81.075439
DO - 10.1103/PhysRevB.81.075439
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:77954882867
SN - 1098-0121
VL - 81
JO - Physical Review B - Condensed Matter and Materials Physics
JF - Physical Review B - Condensed Matter and Materials Physics
IS - 7
M1 - 075439
ER -