Maxwell Equation for the Coupled Spin-Charge Wave Propagation

Journal Article · Fri Jan 15 00:00:00 EST 2010 · Submitted to Physical Review Letters

OSTI ID:970445

Bernevig, B Andrei; Yu, Xiaowei; Zhang, Shou-Cheng

We show that the dissipationless spin current in the ground state of the Rashba model gives rise to a reactive coupling between the spin and charge propagation, which is formally identical to the coupling between the electric and the magnetic fields in the 2 + 1 dimensional Maxwell equation. This analogy leads to a remarkable prediction that a density packet can spontaneously split into two counter propagation packets, each carrying the opposite spins. In a certain parameter regime, the coupled spin and charge wave propagates like a transverse 'photon'. We propose both optical and purely electronic experiments to detect this effect.

• Research Organization: SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-76SF00515
• OSTI ID: 970445
• Report Number(s): SLAC-PUB-13906; TRN: US201002%%1147
• Journal Information: Submitted to Physical Review Letters, Journal Name: Submitted to Physical Review Letters
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
FORECASTING
GROUND STATES
MAGNETIC FIELDS
MAXWELL EQUATIONS
SPIN
WAVE PROPAGATION
Other
MATSCI