Current-induced spin polarization of holes in tellurium

The current-induced optical activity in a tellurium single crystal has been experimentally investigated in the mid-infrared spectral region. The phenomenological theory of the current-induced optical activity has been considered and the microscopic mechanism of this phenomenon has been described. The dependence of the degree of spin polarization of holes in tellurium on the electric current density has been determined. An approximate analytical expression relating the current-induced optical activity to the degree of spin polarization of holes has been obtained.