Abstract
In contrast to the case of ordinary quantum Hall effect, the resistance of ballistic helical edge channels in typical quantum spin-Hall experiments is non-vanishing, additive and poorly quantized. Here we present a simple argument connecting this qualitative difference with a spin relaxation in the current/voltage leads in an experimentally relevant multi-terminal bar geometry. Both the finite lead resistance and the spin relaxation contribute to a non-vanishing four-terminal edge resistance, explaining poor quantization quality. We show that corrections to the four-terminal and two-terminal resistances in the limit of strong spin relaxation are opposite in sign, making a measurement of the spin relaxation resistance feasible, and estimate the magnitude of the effect in HgTe-based quantum wells.
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Konyzheva, S.K., Tikhonov, E.S. & Khrapai, V.S. On the Accuracy of Conductance Quantization in Spin-Hall Insulators. Jetp Lett. 109, 92–95 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1134/S0021364019020024
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S0021364019020024