Spontaneous Spin-Polarization of Ballistic Electrons in Single Mode Quantum Wires due to Spin-Splitting

Abstract

We show that a quantum wire device with spin splitting can work as an active spin polarizer. Hot electrons in one `spin' subband (e.g. `spin-up') may pass such a device with weak electron pair scattering, while electrons in the opposite subband (`spin-down') may have high conversion probability into the `spin-up' subband, resulting in spin polarization of a hot electron beam. Under different circumstances a hot electron beam passing through a single mode quantum wire may induce a steady state magnetization of the background electron gas in a section of the wire weakly coupled to the environment.