Transport through a monolayer-tube junction: Sheet-to-tube spin current

• Published in: Physica. E, Low-dimensional systems & nanostructures Low-dimensional systems & nanostructures, 2025-01, Vol.165, p.116111, Article 116111
• Main Authors: Kitagawa, Yuma, Suzuki, Yuta, Tezuka, Shin-ichiro, Akera, Hiroshi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Atomic layer; Nanotube; Quantum oscillations; Spin current; Tunneling; Van der Waals systems
• ISSN: 1386-9477
• DOI: 10.1016/j.physe.2024.116111

We develop a method to calculate the electron flow between an arbitrary atomic monolayer sheet and an arbitrary tube by expressing the corresponding sheet-tube tunneling matrix elements with those between sheets. We use this method to calculate the spin current from a monolayer silicene sheet with sublattice-staggered current-induced spin polarization to a silicene tube. The calculated sheet-to-tube spin current exhibits an oscillation as a function of the tube circumferential length because the Fermi points in the tube cross the Fermi circle in the sheet. Furthermore, the spin current with spin in the out-of-plane direction, which is absent in the sheet-sheet junction (including twisted sheets) with C3 rotational symmetry, appears in an oscillating form in the tube-sheet junction due to the broken C3 rotational symmetry. This is an example of the symmetry manipulation which realizes switching a particular component of the spin current. •The formula for electron flow between an atomic monolayer and a tube is developed.•Spin current from silicene sheet to tube is calculated using the formula.•Oscillations in the spin current occur due to the tube’s momentum quantization.•Symmetry manipulation switches a particular component of the spin current.