Persistent spin currents without spin-orbit coupling in a spin-1/2 ring.
We show that a spatially dependent magnetic field can induce a persistent spin current in a spin-1/2 Heisenberg antiferromagnetic ring, proportional to the solid angle subtended by the magnetic field on a unit sphere. The magnitude of the spin current is determined by the ratio of longitudinal and transverse exchange interactions J(parallel)/J(perpendicular) and by the magnetic field magnitude.