Offidani, Manuel orcid.org/0000-0002-3500-8198, Raimondi, Roberto and Ferreira, Aires orcid.org/0000-0001-6017-8669 (2018) Microscopic linear response theory of spin relaxation and relativistic transport phenomena in graphene. Condensed Matter. 18. pp. 1-20. ISSN 2410-3896
Abstract
We present a unified theoretical framework for the study of spin dynamics and relativistic transport phenomena in disordered two-dimensional Dirac systems with pseudospin-spin coupling. The formalism is applied to the paradigmatic case of graphene with uniform Bychkov-Rashba interaction and shown to capture spin relaxation processes and associated charge-to-spin interconversion phenomena in response to generic external perturbations, including spin density fluctuations and electric fields. A controlled diagrammatic evaluation of the generalized spin susceptibility in the diffusive regime of weak spin-orbit interaction allows us to show that the spin and momentum lifetimes satisfy the standard Dyakonov-Perel relation for both weak (Gaussian) and resonant (unitary) nonmagnetic disorder. Finally, we demonstrate that the spin relaxation rate can be derived in the zero-frequency limit by exploiting the SU(2) covariant conservation laws for the spin observables. Our results set the stage for a fully quantum-mechanical description of spin relaxation in both pristine graphene samples with weak spin-orbit fields and in graphene heterostructures with enhanced spin-orbital effects currently attracting much attention.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | ©2018 by the authors. |
Keywords: | 2DEGs,Diagrammatic theory,Graphene,Spin relaxation,Spin-Galvanic effect,Spin-orbit coupling,Spintronics |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of York |
Academic Units: | The University of York > Faculty of Sciences (York) > Physics (York) The University of York > York Institute for Materials Research |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number EPSRC EP/N004817/1 |
Depositing User: | Pure (York) |
Date Deposited: | 22 May 2018 14:40 |
Last Modified: | 27 Dec 2024 00:10 |
Published Version: | https://doi.org/10.3390/condmat3020018 |
Status: | Published |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.3390/condmat3020018 |
Related URLs: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:131201 |