Bulk photospin effect: Calculation of electric spin susceptibility to second order in an electric field

We compute the electric spin susceptibility of Bloch electrons with spin-orbit coupling to second order. We find that it is possible to generate a nonequilibrium spin polarization in the bulk of nonmagnetic inversion -symmetric materials using linearly polarized electric fields, but the process depends on interband coherence and produces heating. It may be possible to avoid heating with circular polarization in certain scenarios. The standard Edelstein effect and spin orientation effects are recovered in appropriate limits within the formalism. Finally, the electric spin susceptibility of metals has contributions proportional to spin multipole moments of the Fermi sea that dominate the low frequency spin response.

Automated summary

This paper calculates the electric spin susceptibility of Bloch electrons with spin-orbit coupling to second order. It is found that a nonequilibrium spin polarization can be generated in the bulk of nonmagnetic inversion-symmetric materials using linearly polarized electric fields, but this process depends on interband coherence and results in heating. Circular polarization may be able to avoid heating in certain scenarios. The standard Edelstein effect and spin orientation effects can also be recovered in appropriate limits within the formalism. Additionally, in metals, the electric spin susceptibility has contributions proportional to spin multipole moments of the Fermi sea, which dominate the low frequency spin response.