Classical and quantum chaotic angular-momentum pumps

Abstract

We study directed transport of charge and intrinsic angular momentum by periodically driven scattering in the regime of fast and strong driving. A spin-orbit coupling through a kicked magnetic field confined to a compact region in space leads to irregular scattering and triggers spin flips in a spatially asymmetric manner which allows to generate polarized currents. The dynamical mechanisms responsible for the spin separation carry over to the quantum level and give rise to spin pumping. Our theory, based on the Floquet formalism, is confirmed by numerical solutions of the time-dependent inhomogeneous Schr\"{o}dinger equation with a continuous source term.