Analytical theory and possible detection of the $ac$ quantum spin Hall effect

Abstract

We develop an analytical theory of the low-frequency $ac$ quantum spin Hall (QSH) effect based upon the scattering matrix formalism. It is shown that the $ac$ QSH effect can be interpreted as a bulk quantum pumping effect. When the electron spin is conserved, the integer-quantized $ac$ spin Hall conductivity can be linked to the winding numbers of the reflection matrices in the electrodes, which also equal to the bulk spin Chern numbers of the QSH material. Furthermore, a possible experimental scheme by using ferromagnetic metals as electrodes is proposed to detect the topological $ac$ spin current by electrical means.