Spin Hall Drag

Abstract

We predict a new effect in electronic bilayers: the {\it Spin Hall Drag}. The effect consists in the generation of spin accumulation across one layer by an electric current along the other layer. It arises from the combined action of spin-orbit and Coulomb interactions. Our theoretical analysis, based on the Boltzmann equation formalism, identifies two main contributions to the spin Hall drag resistivity: the side-jump contribution, which dominates at low temperature, going as $T^2$, and the skew-scattering contribution, which is proportional to $T^3$. The induced spin accumulation is large enough to be detected in optical rotation experiments.

5 pages, 2 figures