We study the nonlinear classical dynamics of an electron confined in a double
dot potential and subjected to a spin-orbit coupling and a constant external
magnetic field. It is shown that due to the spin orbit coupling, the energy can
be transferred from the spin to the orbital motion. This naturally heats up the
orbital motion which, due to the presence of the separatrix line in the phase
space of the system, results in a motion of the electron between the dots. It
is shown that depending on the strength of the spin orbit coupling and the
energy of the system, the electronic orbital motion undergoes a transition from
the regular to the chaotic regime.Comment: 15 pages, 5 figure