Experimental Observation of the Inverse Spin Hall Effect at Room Temperature

Abstract

We observe the inverse spin Hall effect in a two-dimensional electron gas confined in AlGaAs/InGaAs quantum wells. Specifically, we find that an inhomogeneous spin density induced by the optical injection gives rise an electric current transverse to both the spin polarization and its gradient. The spin Hall conductivity can be inferred from such a measurement through the Einstein relation and the Onsager relation, and is found to have the order of magnitude of $0.5(e^{2}/h)$. The observation is made at the room temperature and in samples with macroscopic sizes, suggesting that the inverse spin Hall effect is a robust macroscopic transport phenomenon.