Spin transport in a one-dimensional quantum wire

Abstract

We analyze the spin transport through a finite-size one-dimensional interacting wire connected to noninteracting leads. By combining renormalization-group arguments with other analytic considerations such as the memory function technique and instanton tunneling, we find the temperature dependence of the spin conductance in different parameter regimes in terms of interactions and the wire length. The temperature dependence is found to be nonmonotonic in part of the parameter space. In particular, the system approaches perfect spin conductance at zero temperature for both attractive and repulsive interactions, in contrast with the static spin conductivity. We discuss the connection of our results to recent experiments with ultracold atoms and compare the theoretical prediction to experimental data in the parameter regime where temperature is the largest energy scale.