An intrinsic contribution to the spin Hall effect in two‐dimensional silicene is considered theoretically within the linear response theory and Green's function formalism. When an external voltage normal to the silicene plane is applied, the spin Hall conductivity is shown to reveal a transition from the spin Hall insulator phase at low bias to the conventional insulator phase at higher voltages. This transition resembles the recently reported phase transition in bilayer graphene. The spin–orbit interaction responsible for this transition in silicene is much stronger than in graphene, which should make the transition observable experimentally. (© 2012 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Two-dimensional (2D) Rashba systems have been intensively studied in the last decade due to their unconventional physics, tunability capabilities, and potential for spin-charge interconversion when compared to conventional heavy metals. With the advent of a new generation of spin-based logic and memory devices, the search for Rashba systems with more robust and larger conversion efficiencies is expanding. Conventionally, demanding techniques such as angle-and spin-resolved photoemission spectroscopy are required to determine the Rashba parameter αR that characterizes these systems. Here, we introduce a simple method that allows a quantitative extraction of αR, through the analysis of the bilinear response of angle-dependent magnetotransport experiments. This method is based on the modulation of the Rashba-split bands under a rotating in-plane magnetic field. We show that our method is able to correctly yield the value of αR for a wide range of Fermi energies in the 2D electron gas at the LaAlO3/SrTiO3 interface. By applying a gate voltage, we observe a maximum αR in the region of the band structure where interband effects maximize the Rashba effect, consistently with theoretical predictions.

Spin polarization induced by an external electric field in graphene is considered theoretically in the linear response regime. The graphene is assumed to be deposited on a substrate which leads to the spin-orbit interaction of Rashba type. The induced spin polarization is shown to be in the graphene plane and perpendicular to the electric field. However, the spin polarization changes sign when the Fermi level, whose position can be controlled by an external gate voltage, crosses the Dirac points.

Spin polarization of a two-dimensional electron gas with Rashba spin-orbit interaction, induced by a thermo-current, is considered theoretically. It is shown that a temperature gradient gives rise to an in-plane spin polarization of the electron gas, which is normal to the temperature gradient. The low-temperature spin polarization changes sign when the Fermi level crosses bottom edge of the upper electronic subband. We also compare the results with spin polarization induced by an external electric field (current).

Spin, anomalous, and valley Hall effects in graphene-based hybrid structures are studied theoretically within the Green function formalism and linear response theory. Two different types of hybrid systems are considered in detail: (i) graphene/boron nitride/cobalt(nickel), and (ii) graphene/YIG. The main interest is focused on the proximity-induced exchange interaction between graphene and magnetic substrate and on the proximity-enhanced spin-orbit coupling. The proximity effects are shown to have a significant influence on the electronic and spin transport properties of graphene. To find the spin, anomalous and valley Hall conductivities we employ certain effective Hamiltonians which have been proposed recently for the hybrid systems under considerations. Both anomalous and valley Hall conductivities have universal values when the Fermi level is inside the energy gap in the electronic spectrum.Anomalous, spin, and valley Hall effects in graphene deposited on ferromagnetic substrates