arXivDaily arXiv每日学术速递 周一至周五更新
北美退伍军人节(Veterans Day),12 日无更新
arXiv 1603.03422cond-mat.mtrl-scicond-mat.mes-hall
收藏

拓扑绝缘体表面态电流诱导自旋极化的解释

Interpreting current-induced spin polarization in topological insulator surface states

Pengke Li, Ian Appelbaum

摘要:

最近几个三维拓扑绝缘体的实验声称观察到一个大的电荷电流诱导的非平衡系综自旋极化的电子在螺旋表面状态。我们提出了一个全面的批评,这样的索赔,使用理论和实验:首先,我们澄清的解释,从这些测量中提取的量,从玻尔兹曼输运方程的方法在零和有限温度的弛豫时间近似推导出标准的表达式,以强调我们的断言,尽管高面内自旋投影,可获得的电流诱导的系综自旋极化是微不足道的。其次,我们使用一个简单的实验来证明,磁场相关的开路电压滞后(等同于那些归因于电流诱导的自旋极化在拓扑绝缘体表面状态),可以在类似的设备中,其中电流驱动通过薄膜的拓扑平凡的金属。这一结果 *ipso facto* 怀疑以前的实验与TI的天真的解释,这是用来声称观察螺旋,即自旋动量锁定在拓扑保护的表面状态。

英文摘要:

Several recent experiments on three-dimensional topological insulators claim to observe a large charge current-induced non-equilibrium ensemble spin polarization of electrons in the helical surface state. We present a comprehensive criticism of such claims, using both theory and experiment: First, we clarify the interpretation of quantities extracted from these measurements by deriving standard expressions from a Boltzmann transport equation approach in the relaxation-time approximation at zero and finite temperature to emphasize our assertion that, despite high in-plane spin projection, obtainable current-induced ensemble spin polarization is minuscule. Second, we use a simple experiment to demonstrate that magnetic field-dependent open-circuit voltage hysteresis (identical to those attributed to current-induced spin polarization in topological insulator surface states) can be generated in analogous devices where current is driven through thin films of a topologically-trivial metal. This result *ipso facto* discredits the naive interpretation of previous experiments with TIs, which were used to claim observation of helicity, i.e. spin-momentum locking in the topologically-protected surface state.

机构、总结、中文摘要均由AI分析而来,可能存在错误,请以论文正文为准。

↑