Maxwell Equation for the Coupled Spin-Charge Wave Propagation

ORAL

Abstract

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.

Authors

  • B. Andrei Bernevig

  • Xiaowei Yu

  • Shou-cheng Zhang

    • Stanford University