Anisotropic current-induced spin accumulation in the two-dimensional electron gas with spin-orbit coupling

We investigate the magnetoelectric (or inverse spin-galvanic) effect in the two-dimensional electron gases with both Rashba and Dresselhaus spin-orbit couplings using an exact solution of the Boltzmann equation for electron spin and momentum. The spin response to an in-plane electric field turns out to be highly anisotropic, while the usual charge conductivity remains isotropic, contrary to earlier statements.