2017/04/06 by Nicandro Bovenzi, N. Bovenzi, S. Caprara +6 · 9 citations
Materials Science · Physics and Astronomy · #Atomic and Subatomic Physics Research #Charge density #Condensed matter physics #Coupling (piping) #Electric field #Electron #Electronic and Structural Properties of Oxides #Fermi gas #Ferromagnetism #Field (mathematics) #Hall effect #Magnetic and transport properties of perovskites and related materials #Magnetic field #Materials science #Physics #Quantum Hall effect #Quantum mechanics #Spin (aerodynamics) #Spintronics #Spin–orbit interaction #cond-mat.mes-hall
paper · pdf · doi:10.1016/j.jpcs.2017.09.013
published in Journal of Physics and Chemistry of Solids 128, 118-129 (Elsevier BV) · 13 pages, 15 figures
arxiv created 2017/04/06 · openalex publication_date 2017/09/19 · arxiv updated 2019/06/21 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
There is steadily increasing evidence that the two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) formed at the interface of some insulating oxides like LaAlO3/SrTiO3 and LaTiO3/SrTiO3 is strongly inhomogeneous. The inhomogeneous distribution of electron density is accompanied by an inhomogeneous distribution of the (self-consistent) electric field confining the electrons at the interface. In turn this inhomogeneous transverse electric field induces an inhomogeneous Rashba spin-orbit coupling (RSOC). After an introductory summary on two mechanisms possibly giving rise to an electronic phase separation accounting for the above inhomogeneity,we introduce a phenomenological model to describe the density-dependent RSOC and its consequences. Besides being itself a possible source of inhomogeneity or charge-density waves, the density-dependent RSOC gives rise to interesting physical effects like the occurrence of inhomogeneous spin-current distributions and inhomogeneous quantum-Hall states with chiral "edge" states taking place in the bulk of the 2DEG. The inhomogeneous RSOC can also be exploited for spintronic devices since it can be used to produce a disorder-robust spin Hall effect.