Conserved spin current for the Mott relation

Abstract

The conserved bulk spin current [Shi et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 96, 076604 (2006)], defined as the time derivative of the spin displacement operator, ensures automatically the Onsager relation between the spin Hall effect (SHE) and the inverse SHE. Here, we reveal another desirable property of this conserved spin current: the Mott relation linking the SHE and its thermal counterpart, the spin Nernst effect (SNE). According to the Mott relation, the SNE is known once the SHE is understood. In a two-dimensional Dirac-Rashba system with a smooth scalar disorder potential, we find a sign change of the spin Nernst conductivity when tuning the chemical potential.