Spin photovoltaic effect in quantum wires with Rashba interaction

Abstract

We propose a mechanism for spin-polarized photocurrent generation in quantum wires. The effect is due to the combined effect of Rashba spin-orbit interaction, external magnetic field, and microwave radiation. The time-independent interactions in the wire give rise to a spectrum asymmetry in k space. The microwave radiation induces transitions between spin-splitted subbands, and, due to the peculiar energy dispersion relation, charge and spin currents are generated at zero-bias voltage. We demonstrate that the generation of pure spin currents is possible under an appropriate choice of external control parameters.