24 research outputs found
Spin-orbit coupling induced by a mass gradient
The existence of a spin-orbit coupling (SOC) induced by the gradient of the
effective mass in low-dimensional heterostructures is revealed. In structurally
asymmetric quasi-two-dimensional semiconductor heterostructures the presence of
a mass gradient across the interfaces results in a SOC which competes with the
SOC created by the electric field in the valence band. However, in graded
quantum wells subjected to an external electric field, the mass-gradient
induced SOC can be finite even when the electric field in the valence band
vanishes.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, 1 tabl
Absence of the Rashba effect in undoped asymmetric quantum wells
To an electron moving in free space an electric field appears as a magnetic
field which interacts with and can reorient the electron spin. In semiconductor
quantum wells this spin-orbit interaction seems to offer the possibility of
gate-voltage control in spintronic devices but, as the electrons are subject to
both ion-core and macroscopic structural potentials, this over-simple picture
has lead to intense debate. For example, an externally applied field acting on
the envelope of the electron wavefunction determined by the macroscopic
potential, underestimates the experimentally observed spin-orbit field by many
orders of magnitude while the Ehrenfest theorem suggests that it should
actually be zero. Here we challenge, both experimentally and theoretically, the
widely held belief that any inversion asymmetry of the macroscopic potential,
not only electric field, will produce a significant spin-orbit field for
electrons. This conclusion has far-reaching consequences for the design of
spintronic devices while illuminating important fundamental physics.Comment: 7 pages, 5 fig
Recommendations of the Neuroendocrinology Department of the Brazilian Society of Endocrinology and Metabolism for the diagnosis of Cushing’s disease in Brazil
Dipping in Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring Correlates With Overnight Urinary Excretion of Catecholamines and Sodium
Nondipping blood pressure (BP) is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. This study examines the relationship of "dipping" in 24-hour ambulatory BP monitoring (ABPM) with awake and sleeping urinary norepinephrine (NE) and epinephrine (EPI), and that of urinary NE and EPI with urinary sodium (UNa). Fifty nondippers and 65 dippers were included in the present study. Collected data included age, sex, body mass index, history of hypertension, current antihypertensive treatment, ABPM data, and NE, EPI, and UNa values. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis with the night-to-day ratio (NDR) of systolic BP as a dependent variable showed that the composite term of the NDRs of urinary NE and EPI was a significant predictor for dipping. Results also show a differential role of NE and EPI in circadian UNa excretion in dippers and nondippers. These results indicate that the sympathetic nervous system is involved in the regulation of circadian BP variations and UNa excretion