室温下无耗散的量子自旋流

自旋电子学是近年来凝聚态物理研究中的一个热点.文章介绍了量子自旋流的概念,着重论述了一种新近出现的理论,其预言在一大类空穴掺杂的半导体中存在自旋流.计算了自旋流的大小,并论述了它在室温下无耗散的特性,最后给出了两种在实验中探测自旋流的方案.     

一种输出自旋流的装置--自旋池

文章作者设计了一种能够给未来的自旋电路提供驱动自旋流的动力装置，即自旋池．该自旋池有如下四个基本特点：(1)有两个极能使自旋流从一个极流入，从另一个极流出，从而建立一个闭合的自旋回路；(2)有一个能量源；(3)能保持自旋相干；(4)能输出不附加任何净电荷流的纯自旋流，值得注意的是，该自旋池能通过现有的技术手段实现。     

金属薄膜中的逆自旋霍尔效应

自旋流的产生和测量是自旋电子学面临的重大挑战．逆自旋霍尔效应提供了对自旋流进行电学测量的有效手段．文章总结了近年来人们对金属薄膜中的逆自旋霍尔效应的研究,从非局域电注入、铁磁共振注入、声波共振注入和圆偏振光注入这四种不同的自旋流注入方式来介绍逆自旋霍尔效应的物理机制、实现方式和影响因素．     

自旋-轨道耦合系统中的自旋流定义

通常的自旋流定义在描述自旋-轨道耦合系统中的自旋输运是不完整的与非物理的。文章作者提出在这类系统中自旋流的恰当定义。新定义的自旋流克服了通常定义下的本质缺点，可通过实验直接观测。     

自旋-轨道耦合系统中的自旋流定义

通常的自旋流定义在描述自旋-轨道耦合系统中的自旋输运是不完整的与非物理的.文章作者提出在这类系统中自旋流的恰当定义.新定义的自旋流克服了通常定义下的本质缺点,可通过实验直接观测.     

自旋轨道耦合系统中的自旋流与自旋霍尔效应

作为自旋电子学的重要研究内容,如何在固态系统中产生、操控以及探测自旋流引起了研究人员的广泛兴趣。基于自旋轨道耦合的自旋霍尔效应为在非磁性半导体中产生自旋流提供了一种有效途径。然而,在具有自旋轨道耦合的系统中,自旋流并不守恒。如何理解这点并恰当地表述相应的连续性方程,成为自旋输运研究的基本问题之一。本文主要综述自旋轨道耦合系统中自旋流与自旋霍尔效应方面的研究进展。引入SU(2)规范势后,自旋流满足协变形式的连续性方程,该方程保证了SU(2)Kubo公式在不同规范固定下的自洽性。利用SU(2)场强张量,可以直接得到自旋密度和自旋流在SU(2)外场中受到的自旋力,该力在只有U(1)磁场时对应于Stern-Gerlach力。由于依赖杂质散射的外在自旋霍尔效应很难被利用,内在自旋霍尔效应的概念被提出:在非磁半导体中,U(1)电场会诱导出自旋流并导致系统边缘处的自旋积累。自旋霍尔效应已经在半导体和金属材料中被观察到。虽然在干净的二维电子气中自旋霍尔电导率是一普适常数e/8π,但杂质对它的影响却引起了人们的高度关注。通过引入退相干效应,自旋霍尔效应中杂质效应的一些令人困惑的理论结果,则得到清晰的解释。此外,本文还将介绍具有层间隧穿的双层二维电子气中的自旋输运现象。在能量简并点附近,自旋霍尔电导率和隧穿自旋电导率均会出现共振现象。当两层间的杂质势强度存在差异时,隧穿自旋电导率随门压的变化曲线呈现出非对称性,显示出自旋二极管效应。     

自旋轨道耦合系统中的自旋流与自旋霍尔效应

作为自旋电子学的重要研究内容,如何在固态系统中产生、操控以及探测自旋流引起了研究人员的广泛兴趣.基于自旋轨道耦合的自旋霍尔效应为在非磁性半导体中产生自旋流提供了一种有效途径.然而,在具有自旋轨道耦合的系统中,自旋流并不守恒.如何理解这点并恰当地表述相应的连续性方程,成为自旋输运研究的基本问题之一.本文主要综述自旋轨道耦合系统中自旋流与自旋霍尔效应方面的研究进展.引入SU(2)规范势后,自旋流满足协变形式的连续性方程,该方程保证了SU(2)Kubo公式在不同规范固定下的自洽性.利用SU(2)场强张量,可以直接得到自旋密度和自旋流在SU(2)外场中受到的白旋力,该力在只有U(1)磁场时对应于Stern-Gerlach力.由于依赖杂质散射的外在自旋霍尔效应很难被利用,内在自旋霍尔效应的概念被提出:在非磁半导体中,U(1)电场会诱导出自旋流并导致系统边缘处的自旋积累.自旋霍尔效应已经在半导体和金属材料中被观察到.虽然在干净的二维电子气中自旋霍尔电导率是一普适常数e/8π,但杂质对它的影响却引起了人们的高度关注.通过引入退相干效应,自旋霍尔效应中杂质效应的一些令人困惑的理论结果,则得到清晰的解释.此外,本文还将介绍具有层间隧穿的双层二维电子气中的自旋输运现象.在能量简并点附近,自旋霍尔电导率和隧穿白旋电导率均会出现共振现象.当两层间的杂质势强度存在差异时,隧穿自旋电导率随门压的变化曲线呈现出非对称性,显示出自旋二极管效应.     

金属薄膜中的逆自旋霍尔效应

自旋流的产生和测量是自旋电子学面临的重大挑战.逆自旋霍尔效应提供了对自旋流进行电学测量的有效手段.文章总结了近年来人们对金属薄膜中的逆自旋霍尔效应的研究,从非局域电注入、铁磁共振注入、声波共振注入和圆偏振光注入这四种不同的自旋流注入方式来介绍逆自旋霍尔效应的物理机制、实现方式和影响因素.     

自旋不是轨道角动量的相对论效应——与许方官和高春媛商榷

对《大学物理》2000年第11期上发表的《氢原子的磁矩－对自旋的讨论之一》一提出了不同的看法，认为该错把相对论的流密度当成了非相对论的流密度，前不能在非相对论近似下过滤到后，在相对论情况下，自旋和轨道耦合在一起，不能互相独立，在非相对论情况下自旋独立于轨道运动而存在；因而，自旋不是轨道角动量的相对论效应。     

单量子阱的自旋电流

利用密度矩阵的方法,由多粒子体系的薛定谔方程得到了微观体系中电子输运的概率方程，由此推出了单量子阱的自旋电流和电荷流的表达式.研究发现，在某种条件下单量子阱中只存在自旋电流；同时还给出了左右自旋电流之间的关系.结果表明:当单量子阱中的电子发生自旋共振时,自旋电流出现极大值并且随着自旋退相干时间的减小而减小. 关键词： 自旋共振 自旋电流     

Spin current and its heat effect in a multichannel quantum wire with Rashba spinben orbit coupling

Using the perturbation method, we theoretically study the spin current and its heat effect in a multichannel quantum wire with Rashba spin—orbit coupling. The heat generated by the spin current is calculated. With the increase of the width of the quantum wire, the spin current and the heat generated both exhibit period oscillations with equal amplitudes. When the quantum-channel number is doubled, the oscillation periods of the spin current and of the heat generated both decrease by a factor of 2. For the spin current j_s,xy, the amplitude increases with the decrease of the quantum channel; while the amplitude of the spin current j_s,yx remains the same. Therefore we conclude that the effect of the quantum-channel number on the spin current j_s,xy is greater than that on the spin current j_s,yx. The strength of the Rashba spin—orbit coupling is tunable by the gate voltage, and the gate voltage can be varied experimentally, which implies a new method of detecting the spin current. In addition, we can control the amplitude and the oscillation period of the spin current by controlling the number of the quantum channels. All these characteristics of the spin current will be very important for detecting and controlling the spin current, and especially for designing new spintronic devices in the future.     

Spin torque transfer structure with new spin switching configurations

Spin torque transfer structures with new spin switching configurations are proposed, fabricated and investigated in this paper. The non-uniform current-induced magnetization switching is implemented based on both GMR and MTJ nano devices. The proposed new spin transfer structure has a hybrid free layer that consists of a layer with conductive channels (magnetic) and non-conductive matrix (non-magnetic) and traditional free layer(s). Two mechanisms, a higher local current density by nano-current-channels and a non-uniform magnetization switching (reversal domain nucleation and growth) by a magnetic nanocomposite structure, contribute in reducing the switching current density. The critical switching current density for the new spin transfer structure is reduced to one third of the typical value for the normal structure. It can be expected to have one order of magnitude or more reduction for the critical current density if the optimization of materials and fabrication processes could be done further. Meanwhile, the thermal stability of this new spin transfer structure is not degraded, which may solve the long-standing scaling problem for magnetic random access memory (MRAM). This spin transfer structure, with the proposed and demonstrated new spin switching configurations, not only provides a solid approach for the practical application of spin transfer devices but also forms a unique platform for researchers to explore the non-uniform current-induced switching process.     

Anomalous photogalvanic effect of circularly polarized light incident on the two-dimensional electron gas in Al{x}Ga{1-x}N/GaN heterostructures at room temperature

Under normal incidence of circularly polarized light at room temperature, a charge current with swirly distribution has been observed in the two-dimensional electron gas in Al{0.25}Ga{0.75}N/GaN heterostructures. We believe that this anomalous charge current is produced by a radial spin current via the reciprocal spin Hall effect. It suggests a new way to research the reciprocal spin Hall effect and spin current on the macroscopic scale and at room temperature.     

自旋光电流与电流诱导的电子自旋极化——半导体自旋电子学的新进展

文章通过自旋光电流与Kerr效应的实验,介绍在自旋-轨道耦合的体系中,如何通过自旋注入来驱动电子的运动产生电流,又如何反过来通过电子的运动或电流在系统中产生自旋激化.实验结果表明,自旋轨道耦合不但给我们提供了对自旋的操控手段,而且还给我们提供了用非磁性材料且无外加磁场条件下作为自旋源的新途径.     

Detection of single spin decoherence in a quantum dot via charge currents

We consider a quantum dot attached to leads in the Coulomb blockade regime that has a spin 1 / 2 ground state. We show that, by applying an ESR field to the dot spin, the stationary current in the sequential tunneling regime exhibits a new resonance peak whose linewidth is determined by the single spin decoherence time T2. The Rabi oscillations of the dot spin are shown to induce coherent current oscillations from which T2 can be deduced in the time domain. We describe a spin inverter which can be used to pump current through a double dot via spin flips generated by ESR.     

Controllable Spin Polarization of Charge Current by Rashba Spin Orbital Coupling

We report a theoretic study on modulating the spin polarization of charge current in a mesoscopic four-terminal device of cross structure by using the inverse spin hall effect. The scattering region of device is a two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) with Rashba spin orbital interaction (RSOI), one of lead is ferromagnetic metal and other three leads are spin-degenerate normal metals. By using Landauer-Büttiker formalism, we found that when alongitudinal charge current flows through 2DEG scattering region from FM lead by external bias, the transverse current can be either a pure spin current or full-polarized charge current due to the combined effect of spin hall effect and its inverse process, and the polarization of this transverse current can be easily controlled by several device parameters such as the Fermi energy, ferromagnetic magnetization, and the RSOI constant. Our method may pave a new way to control the spin polarization of a charge current.     

Generation and manipulation of spin current via a hybrid four-terminal single-molecule junction

We present a new device which consists of a molecular quantum dot (MQD) attached to a normal-metal, two ferromagnetic (FM), and a superconducting leads. The spin-related Andreev reflection (AR) current and the spin-dependent single-particle tunneling current through the normal-metal terminal are obtained, and it is found that the spin current exhibits the transistor-like behavior. The joint effects of the coherent spin flip and the angle between magnetic moments of the two FM leads on the spin current are also studied, these results provide the possibility to manipulate the spin current with the system parameters.     

Detecting Spin Bias with Circularly Polarized Light

We theoretically study the spin transport through a two-terminal quantum dot device under the influence of a symmetric spin bias and circularly polarized light.It is found that the combination of the circularly polarized light and the applied spin bias can result in a net charge current.The resultant charge current is large enough to be measured when properly choosing the system parameters.The resultant charge current can be used to deduce the spin bias due to the fact that there exists a simple linear relation between them.When the external circuit is open,a charge bias instead of a charge current can be induced,which is also measurable by present technologies.These findings indicate a new approach to detect the spin bias by using circularly polarized light.