Bi-linear magnetoresistance in surface states of topological insulator: the role of Rashba-Edelstein effect and relaxation processes

Magnetoresistance effects scaling linearly with both external electric and magnetic fields are currently of great interest. These phenomena may be observed even in a uniform layer of material with strong spin-orbit coupling (SOC). A recent theoretical description of this bi-linear magnetoresistance (BMR) assumes a hexagonal warping of the band structure, which enables electron backscattering [1]. However, the experimental data on the topological insulator α-Sn(001) (a material without hexagonal symmetry) indicate that BMR can also exist in materials without hexagonal warping. Thus, one may expect another mechanisms contributing to the BMR in systems with isotropic energy spectra.
We will present our recent study on BMR of surface electronic states in TIs and in 2D Rashba gas [2]. The mechanism is based on the interplay of current-induced spin polarization and scattering processes due to peculiar spin-orbit defects. Additionally, we will discuss the role of the particle-hole asymmetry term and compare our approach with other theoretical descriptions and available experimental data.

[1] P. He, et al., Nat. Phys. 14, 495 (2018);
[2] A. Dyrdal, et al., arXiv 1908.08575 (2019).