Spin-dependent inertial force and spin current in accelerating systems

Abstract

The spin-dependent inertial force in an accelerating system under the presence of electromagnetic fields is derived from the generally covariant Dirac equation. Spin currents are evaluated by the force up to the lowest order of the spin-orbit coupling in both ballistic and diffusive regimes. We give an interpretation of the inertial effect of linear acceleration on an electron as an effective electric field and show that mechanical vibration in a high-frequency resonator can create a spin current via the spin-orbit interaction augmented by the linear acceleration.