Disorder effects on the spin-Hall current in a diffusive Rashba two-dimensional heavy-hole system

We investigate the spin-Hall effect in a two-dimensional heavy-hole system with Rashba spin-orbit coupling using a nonequilibrium Green's function approach. Both the short- and long-range disorder scatterings are considered in the self-consistent Born approximation. We find that, in the case of long-range collisions, the disorder-mediated process leads to an enhancement of the spin-Hall current at high heavy-hole density, whereas for short-range scatterings it gives a vanishing contribution. This result suggests that the recently observed spin-Hall effect in experiment is a result of the sum of the intrinsic and disorder-mediated contributions. We have also calculated the temperature dependence of spin-Hall conductivity, which reveals a decrease with increasing the temperature.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures, Typos in the values of hole density correcte

Radiation-induced magnetoresistance oscillation in a two-dimensional electron gas in Faraday geometry

Microwave-radiation induced giant magnetoresistance oscillations recently discovered in high-mobility two-dimensional electron systems in a magnetic field, are analyzed theoretically. Multiphoton-assisted impurity scatterings are shown to be the primary origin of the oscillation. Based on a model which considers the interaction of electrons with the electromagnetic fields in Faraday geometry, we are able not only to reproduce the correct period, phase and the negative resistivity of the main oscillation, but also to obtain secondary peaks and additional maxima and minima in the resistivity curve, some of which were already observed in the experiments.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure, revised version to be published in Phys. Rev. Let

Spin Hall effect in infinitely large and finite-size diffusive Rashba two-dimensional electron systems: A helicity-basis nonequilibrium Green's function approach

A nonequilibrium Green's function approach is employed to investigate the spin-Hall effect in diffusive two-dimensional electron systems with Rashba spin-orbit interaction. Considering a long-range electron-impurity scattering potential in the self-consistent Born approximation, we find that the spin-Hall effect arises from two distinct interband polarizations in helicity basis: a disorder-unrelated polarization directly induced by the electric field and a polarization mediated by electron-impurity scattering. The disorder-unrelated polarization is associated with all electron states below the Fermi surface and produces the original intrinsic spin-Hall current, while the disorder-mediated polarization emerges with contribution from the electron states near the Fermi surface and gives rise to an additional contribution to the spin-Hall current. Within the diffusive regime, the total spin-Hall conductivity vanishes in {\it infinitely large} samples, independently of temperature, of the spin-orbit coupling constant, of the impurity density, and of the specific form of the electron-impurity scattering potential. However, in a {\it finite-size} Rashba two-dimensional semiconductor, the spin-Hall conductivity no longer always vanishes. Depending on the sample size in the micrometer range, it can be positive, zero or negative with a maximum absolute value reaching as large as $e/8\pi$ order of magnitude at low temperatures. As the sample size increases, the total spin-Hall conductivity oscillates with a decreasing amplitude. We also discuss the temperature dependence of the spin-Hall conductivity for different sample sizes.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figures, extended version of cond-mat/041162

Magnetoresistance oscillations in two-dimensional electron systems under monochromatic and bichromatic radiations

The magnetoresistance oscillations in high-mobility two-dimensional electron systems induced by two radiation fields of frequencies 31 GHz and 47 GHz, are analyzed in a wide magnetic-field range down to 100 G, using the balance-equation approach to magnetotransport for high-carrier-density systems. The frequency mixing processes are shown to be important. The predicted peak positions, relative heights, radiation-intensity dependence and their relation with monochromatic resistivities are in good agreement with recent experimental finding [M. A. Zudov {\it et al.} Phys. Rev. Lett. 96, 236804 (2006)].Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure