Current-Induced Magnetization in Metal Without Space-Inversion Symmetry

Magneto-electric effect, i.e. an appearance of magnetisation induced by electric current, is allowed by symmetry in metals with crystal structure without space inversion. The microscopic origin of this effect is spin–orbit coupling of electrons with a non-centrosymmetric crystal lattice lifting spin degeneracy of electron energy and mixing spin and orbital degrees of freedom. The presented here calculation of magnetisation induced by current is based on the application of kinetic equation for the matrix distribution function of electrons occupying the states in two bands split by the spin–orbit interaction.