511 research outputs found
Topological Dirac states in asymmetric Pb1-xSnxTe quantum wells
The electronic structure of lead-salt (IV-VI semiconductor) topological
quantum wells (T-QWs) is investigated with analytical solutions of the
effective 4x4 Dimmock k & BULL; p model, which gives an accurate
description of the bands around the fundamental energy gap. Specific
results for three-layer Pb1-xSnxTe nanostructures with varying Sn
composition are presented and the main differences between topological
and normal (N) QWs highlighted. A series of new features are found in
the spectrum of T-QWs, in particular in asymmetric QWs where large
(Rashba spin-orbit) splittings are obtained for the topological Dirac
states inside the gap
Zero-field spin splitting in InAs-AlSb quantum wells revisited
We present magnetotransport experiments on high-quality InAs-AlSb quantum
wells that show a perfectly clean single-period Shubnikov-de Haas oscillation
down to very low magnetic fields. In contrast to theoretical expectations based
on an asymmetry induced zero-field spin splitting, no beating effect is
observed. The carrier density has been changed by the persistent photo
conductivity effect as well as via the application of hydrostatic pressure in
order to influence the electric field at the interface of the electron gas.
Still no indication of spin splitting at zero magnetic field was observed in
spite of highly resolved Shubnikov- de Haas oscillations up to filling factors
of 200. This surprising and unexpected result is discussed in view of other
recently published data.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.
Higher order contributions to Rashba and Dresselhaus effects
We have developed a method to systematically compute the form of Rashba- and
Dresselhaus-like contributions to the spin Hamiltonian of heterostructures to
an arbitrary order in the wavevector k. This is achieved by using the double
group representations to construct general symmetry-allowed Hamiltonians with
full spin-orbit effects within the tight-binding formalism. We have computed
full-zone spin Hamiltonians for [001]-, [110]- and [111]-grown zinc blende
heterostructures (D_{2d},C_{4v},C_{2v},C_{3v} point group symmetries), which
are commonly used in spintronics. After an expansion of the Hamiltonian up to
third order in k, we are able to obtain additional terms not found previously.
The present method also provides the matrix elements for bulk zinc blendes
(T_d) in the anion/cation and effective bond orbital model (EBOM) basis sets
with full spin-orbit effects.Comment: v1: 11 pages, 3 figures, 8 table
Quantum dots based on spin properties of semiconductor heterostructures
The possibility of a novel type of semiconductor quantum dots obtained by
spatially modulating the spin-orbit coupling intensity in III-V
heterostructures is discussed. Using the effective mass model we predict
confined one-electron states having peculiar spin properties. Furthermore, from
mean field calculations (local-spin-density and Hartree-Fock) we find that even
two electrons could form a bound state in these dots.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figures. Accepted in PRB (Brief Report) (2004
Anisotropic splitting of intersubband spin plasmons in quantum wells with bulk and structural inversion asymmetry
In semiconductor heterostructures, bulk and structural inversion asymmetry
and spin-orbit coupling induce a k-dependent spin splitting of valence and
conduction subbands, which can be viewed as being caused by momentum-dependent
crystal magnetic fields. This paper studies the influence of these effective
magnetic fields on the intersubband spin dynamics in an asymmetric n-type
GaAs/AlGaAs quantum well. We calculate the dispersions of intersubband spin
plasmons using linear response theory. The so-called D'yakonov-Perel'
decoherence mechanism is inactive for collective intersubband excitations,
i.e., crystal magnetic fields do not lead to decoherence of spin plasmons.
Instead, we predict that the main signature of bulk and structural inversion
asymmetry in intersubband spin dynamics is a three-fold, anisotropic splitting
of the spin plasmon dispersion. The importance of many-body effects is pointed
out, and conditions for experimental observation with inelastic light
scattering are discussed.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figure
Theory of electrical spin injection: Tunnel contacts as a solution of the conductivity mismatch problem
Theory of electrical spin injection from a ferromagnetic (FM) metal into a
normal (N) conductor is presented. We show that tunnel contacts (T) can
dramatically increase spin injection and solve the problem of the mismatch in
the conductivities of a FM metal and a semiconductor microstructure. We also
present explicit expressions for the spin-valve resistance of FM-T-N- and
FM-T-N-T-FM-junctions with tunnel contacts at the interfaces and show that the
resistance includes both positive and negative contributions (Kapitza
resistance and injection conductivity, respectively).Comment: 4 pages, to appear in Phys. Rev. B (rapid communications
Electron and Hole Spin Splitting and Photogalvanic Effect in Quantum Wells
A theory of the circular photogalvanic effect caused by spin splitting in
quantum wells is developed. Direct interband transitions between the hole and
electron size-quantized subbands are considered. It is shown that the
photocurrent value and direction depend strongly on the form of the spin-orbit
interaction. The currents induced by structure-, bulk-, and interface-inversion
asymmetry are investigated. The photocurrent excitation spectra caused by spin
splittings in both conduction and valence bands are calculated.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figure
Anisotropic transport in the two-dimensional electron gas in the presence of spin-orbit coupling
In a two-dimensional electron gas as realized by a semiconductor quantum
well, the presence of spin-orbit coupling of both the Rashba and Dresselhaus
type leads to anisotropic dispersion relations and Fermi contours. We study the
effect of this anisotropy on the electrical conductivity in the presence of
fixed impurity scatterers. The conductivity also shows in general an anisotropy
which can be tuned by varying the Rashba coefficient. This effect provides a
method of detecting and investigating spin-orbit coupling by measuring
spin-unpolarized electrical currents in the diffusive regime. Our approach is
based on an exact solution of the two-dimensional Boltzmann equation and
provides also a natural framework for investigating other transport effects
including the anomalous Hall effect.Comment: 10 pages, 1 figure included. Discussion of experimental impact
enlarged; error in calculation of conductivity contribution corrected (cf.
Eq. (A14)), no changes in qualitative results and physical consequence
Magnetotransport in Two-Dimensional Electron Systems with Spin-Orbit Interaction
We present magnetotransport calculations for homogeneous two-dimensional
electron systems including the Rashba spin-orbit interaction, which mixes the
spin-eigenstates and leads to a modified fan-chart with crossing Landau levels.
The quantum mechanical Kubo formula is evaluated by taking into account
spin-conserving scatterers in an extension of the self-consistent Born
approximation that considers the spin degree of freedom. The calculated
conductivity exhibits besides the well-known beating in the Shubnikov-de Haas
(SdH) oscillations a modulation which is due to a suppression of scattering
away from the crossing points of Landau levels and does not show up in the
density of states. This modulation, surviving even at elevated temperatures
when the SdH oscillations are damped out, could serve to identify spin-orbit
coupling in magnetotransport experiments. Our magnetotransport calculations are
extended also to lateral superlattices and predictions are made with respect to
1/B periodic oscillations in dependence on carrier density and strength of the
spin-orbit coupling.Comment: 8 pages including 8 figures; submitted to PR
Exciton Spin Dynamics in Semiconductor Quantum Wells
In this paper we will review Exciton Spin Dynamics in Semiconductor Quantum
Wells. The spin properties of excitons in nanostructures are determined by
their fine structure. We will mainly focus in this review on GaAs and InGaAs
quantum wells which are model systems.Comment: 55 pages, 27 figure
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