Absorption of surface acoustic waves by a two-dimensional electron gas in the presence of spin-orbit interaction

Abstract

A theoretical study is presented for interactions between surface acoustic waves (SAWs) and a two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) in the presence of spin-orbit (SO) interaction (SOI) induced by the Rashba effect. It is found that the presence of the SOI in a 2DEG can open up new channels for electronic transitions. As a result, an enhanced absorption of the SAWs by a 2DEG can be achieved through intra- and inter-SO electronic transition around the Fermi level. These results indicate that spintronic systems can be the candidate of the SAW devices.