Pure spin current vs. spin-polarized charge current?

[sokrates]

Is there anyone who understands (or has ever heard of) the difference between a pure spin current and a spin-polarized charge current?

It causes a great deal of confusion for me, because I cannot imagine a current flowing without an accompanying charge flow... Guesses and conjectures are welcome. I have been struggling about this for quite some time now.

Here's the paper and the context if you are interested in learning more:
(hopefully you have a Nature subscription)

http://www.nature.com/nphys/journal/v4/n11/full/nphys1095.html

 

[sokrates]

bump.

I don't want to believe that nobody has even an opinion on this!

 

[Entropia]

I am familiar with the concept of spin currents and spin-polarized charge currents. Both of these terms refer to the flow of particles with a spin property, which is a fundamental property of particles that can be thought of as their intrinsic angular momentum.

A pure spin current refers to the flow of particles with a spin property, without any accompanying charge flow. This means that the particles are moving solely based on their spin property, rather than their charge. This type of current is often observed in materials that have a strong spin-orbit interaction, where the spin of the particles is coupled to their motion.

On the other hand, a spin-polarized charge current refers to the flow of particles with a spin property, but with an accompanying charge flow. This means that the particles are moving based on both their spin and charge properties. This type of current is commonly observed in materials that have a magnetic field, where the spin of the particles is influenced by the magnetic field and can affect the charge flow.

The difference between a pure spin current and a spin-polarized charge current is important in understanding the behavior of particles in different materials and systems. It is also relevant for developing new technologies, such as spintronics, which utilize the spin of particles for information processing and storage.

I can understand the confusion that arises when trying to imagine a current without an accompanying charge flow. However, in the quantum world, particles can behave in ways that are not always intuitive to our classical understanding. I would encourage further research and investigation into this topic to gain a deeper understanding of these phenomena. The paper you have provided is a great resource for learning more about these concepts and their applications.