Purely electric spin pumping in one-dimension

Abstract

We show theoretically that a simple one dimensional system (such as metallic wire) can display quantum spin pumping possibly without pushing any charge. It is achieved by applying two slowly varying orthogonal gate electric fields on different sections of the wire, thereby generating local spin-orbit (Rashba) terms such that unitary transformations at different places do not commute. This construction is a unique manifestation of a spin-orbit observable effect in purely one dimensional systems with potentials respecting time-reversal symmetry.