Determining the spin Hall conductance via charge transport

Abstract

We propose a scheme where transport measurements of charge current and its noise can be used to determine the spin Hall conductance in a four-terminal setup. Starting from the scattering formalism we express the spin current and spin Hall conductance in terms of spin-dependent transmission coefficients. These coefficients are then expressed in terms of charge current and noise. We use the scheme to characterize the spin injection efficiency of a ferromagnetic/semiconductor interface.