Universal spin-Hall conductance fluctuations in two dimensions

Abstract

We report a theoretical investigation on spin-Hall conductance fluctuation of disordered four terminal devices in the presence of Rashba or/and Dresselhaus spin-orbital interactions in two dimensions. As a function of disorder, the spin-Hall conductance $G_{sH}$ shows ballistic, diffusive and insulating transport regimes. For given spin-orbit interactions, a universal spin-Hall conductance fluctuation (USCF) is found in the diffusive regime. The value of the USCF depends on the spin-orbit coupling $t_{so}$, but is independent of other system parameters. It is also independent of whether Rashba or Dresselhaus or both spin-orbital interactions are present. When $t_{so}$ is comparable to the hopping energy $t$, the USCF is a universal number $\sim 0.18e/4\ddot{I}€$. The distribution of $G_{sH}$ crosses over from a Gaussian distribution in the metallic regime to a non-Gaussian distribution in the insulating regime as the disorder strength is increased.

to be published in Phys. Rev. Lett., 4 figures