On A Proper Definition of Spin Current
arXiv:cond-mat/0503505 · doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.96.076604
Abstract
The conventional definition of spin current is incomplete and unphysical in describing spin transport in systems with spin-orbit coupling. A proper and measurable spin current is established in this study, which fits well into the standard framework of near-equilibrium transport theory and has the desirable property to vanish in insulators with localized orbitals. Experimental implications of our theory are discussed.
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