title: Spin current and polarization in impure two-dimensional electron systems with spin-orbit coupling.
abstract: We derive the transport equations for two-dimensional electron systems with Rashba spin-orbit interaction and short-range spin-independent disorder. In the limit of slow spatial variations, we obtain coupled diffusion equations for the electron density and spin. Using these equations we calculate electric-field induced spin accumulation and spin current in a finite-size sample for an arbitrary ratio between spin-orbit energy splitting Delta and elastic scattering rate tau(-1). We demonstrate that the spin-Hall conductivity vanishes in an infinite system independent of this ratio.
authors.affiliation: Lyman Laboratory, Department of Physics, Harvard University, Massachusetts 02138, USA.
authors.forename: E G
authors.initials: EG
authors.lastname: Mishchenko
authors.forename: A V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Shytov
authors.forename: B I
authors.initials: BI
authors.lastname: Halperin