Skew scattering due to intrinsic spin-orbit coupling in a two-dimensional electron gas

2007/03/31 by András Pályi, Andras Palyi, József Cserti +1
Physics and Astronomy · #Physics of Superconductivity and Magnetism #Quantum and electron transport phenomena #Semiconductor Quantum Structures and Devices #cond-mat.dis-nn #cond-mat.mes-hall

paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevb.76.035331

published as Phys. Rev. B 76, 035331 (2007) · 4 pages, 3 figure

openalex publication_date 2007/07/25 · arxiv created 2007/07/26 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28

Abstract

We present the generalization of the two-dimensional quantum scattering formalism to systems with Rashba spin-orbit coupling. Using symmetry considerations, we show that the differential scattering cross section depends on the spin state of the incident electron, and skew scattering may arise even for central spin-independent scattering potentials. The skew scattering effect is demonstrated by exact results of a simple hard wall impurity model. The magnitude of the effect for short-range impurities is estimated using the first Born approximation. The exact formalism we present can serve as a foundation for further theoretical investigations.

Citations

• Spin Current and Polarization in Impure Two-Dimensional Electron Systems with Spin-Orbit Coupling
• Spin-Hall effect in a disordered two-dimensional electron system
• Observation of the Spin Hall Effect in Semiconductors
• Oscillatory effects and the magnetic susceptibility of carriers in inversion layers
• Spin-Orbit Coupling Effects in Zinc Blende Structures
• Theory of the anomalous Hall effect from the Kubo formula and the Dirac equation