Optical orientation of Mn2+ ions in GaAs in weak longitudinal magnetic fields

We report on optical orientation of Mn2+ ions in bulk GaAs subject to weak longitudinal magnetic fields (B≤100 mT). A manganese spin polarization of 25% is directly evaluated by using spin-flip Raman scattering. The dynamical Mn2+ polarization occurs due to the s-d exchange interaction with optically oriented conduction band electrons. Time-resolved photoluminescence reveals a nontrivial electron spin dynamics, where the oriented Mn2+ ions tend to stabilize the electron spins.     

Quantum anomalous hall effect in Hg1-yMnyTe quantum wells

The quantum Hall effect is usually observed when a two-dimensional electron gas is subjected to an external magnetic field, so that their quantum states form Landau levels. In this work we predict that a new phenomenon, the quantum anomalous Hall effect, can be realized in Hg{1-y}Mn{y}Te quantum wells, without an external magnetic field and the associated Landau levels. This effect arises purely from the spin polarization of the Mn atoms, and the quantized Hall conductance is predicted for a range of quantum well thickness and the concentration of the Mn atoms. This effect enables dissipationless charge current in spintronics devices.     

Effect of electron-electron interaction on spin relaxation of charge carriers in semiconductors

An analysis of spin dynamics is presented for semiconductor systems without inversion symmetry that exhibit spin splitting. It is shown that electron-electron interaction reduces the rate of the Dyakonov-Perel (precession) mechanism of spin relaxation both via spin mixing in the momentum space and via the Hartree-Fock exchange interaction in spin-polarized electron gas. The change in the Hartree-Fock contribution with increasing nonequilibrium spin polarization is analyzed. Theoretical predictions are compared with experimental results on spin dynamics in GaAs/AlGaAs-based quantum-well structures. The effect of electron-electron collisions is examined not only for two-dimensional electron gas in a quantum well, but also for electron gas in a bulk semiconductor and a quantum wire.     

Spin polarization induced by an electric field in the presence of weak localization effects

We evaluate the spin polarization (Edelstein or inverse spin galvanic effect) and the spin Hall current induced by an applied electric field by including the weak localization corrections for a two-dimensional electron gas. We show that the weak localization effects yield logarithmic corrections to both the spin polarization conductivity relating the spin polarization and the electric field and to the spin Hall angle relating the spin and charge currents. The renormalization of both the spin polarization conductivity and the spin Hall angle combine to produce a zero correction to the total spin Hall conductivity as required by an exact identity. Suggestions for the experimental observation of the effect are given.     

Reprint of : Spin polarization induced by an electric field in the presence of weak localization effects

We evaluate the spin polarization (Edelstein or inverse spin galvanic effect) and the spin Hall current induced by an applied electric field by including the weak localization corrections for a two-dimensional electron gas. We show that the weak localization effects yield logarithmic corrections to both the spin polarization conductivity relating the spin polarization and the electric field and to the spin Hall angle relating the spin and charge currents. The renormalization of both the spin polarization conductivity and the spin Hall angle combine to produce a zero correction to the total spin Hall conductivity as required by an exact identity. Suggestions for the experimental observation of the effect are given.     

Thermally induced spin polarization and thermal conductivities in a spin–orbit-coupled two-dimensional electron gas

The thermal conductivities and spin polarization induced by the temperature gradient are investigated in a Rashba spin–orbit-coupled two-dimensional electron gas. In this spin–orbit-coupled system in the presence of nonmagnetic or magnetic electron–impurity scattering, the Wiedemann–Franz law still holds. However, the spin polarization induced by the temperature gradient strongly depends on the property of impurities. The components of spin accumulation both perpendicular and parallel to the direction of the temperature gradient, and the thermally induced charge Hall conductivity may be nonzero for magnetic disorders.     

Dynamical Theory of X-Ray Diffraction for Restricted Beams: I. Coherent Scattering by a Porous Crystal

The processes of electron spin dynamics in a hybrid nonresonance structure, which includes a layer of a diluted magnetic II–Mn–VI semiconductor and an asymmetric quantum well (QW) of a nonmagnetic III–V semiconductor, are experimentally studied. The nonresonance of the structure is determined by the fact that the level of the ground state of the magnetic layer falls into the range of the excited states of the nonmagnetic QW. The electron polarization in the ground thermalized state of QW is found not to depend on the magnetic part of the structure. However, the magnetic part affects the electron polarization in the excited state via spin injection from the magnetic semiconductor and the mixing of the electronic states of the magnetic and nonmagnetic subsystems of the structure. The possibility of controlling the polarization of an electron spin by carrier excitation toward the region of mixed states along with the absence of depolarizing influence of the magnetic semiconductor on carriers in the thermalized state of QW can be applied to design new spintronic devices along with those that use spin injection, optical orientation, and depolarization.     

Rashba自旋轨道耦合作用下电荷流散粒噪声与自旋极化的关系研究

根据存在自旋轨道耦合时基于散射理论的电流表达式和散粒噪声表达式,并利用自旋密度矩阵推导出沿自旋量子化坐标的自旋极化率表达式.解析计算了单通道的情况,发现自旋极化率和电荷流散粒噪声无关.由于多通道解析推导的困难,使用非平衡格林函数技巧,数值计算了包含自旋轨道耦合效应的纯净二维电子气的多通道情况.分别改变偏压、自旋轨道耦合系数、导体长度,研究了这三种不同条件下的自旋极化率与电荷流散粒噪声Fano因子的相关性.两者的相关性表明,相关性定量关系的建立可能为自旋极化的全电学检测提供新思路. 关键词： 散粒噪声 自旋极化 Rashba自旋轨道耦合 散射矩阵     

Magnetic phase diagram in a quasi-two-dimensional electron gas

Using spin density functional theory within the framework of the local spin density approximation with Perdew-Zunger type exchange-correlation energy, ferromagnetism in a quasi-two-dimensional electron gas (Q-2DEG) is studied. The electronic and magnetic structures of a thin film are calculated as a function of film thickness and electron density. Ferromagnetism in the Q-2DEG is found to appear at a higher electron density than in the three-dimensional electron gas. Unless a film is very thin, with decreasing electron density, a magnetic phase transition occurs from a spin-unpolarized fluid to a Wigner film with surface magnetism, in which the spin polarization localizes only in the neighborhood of surfaces. Further decreasing density induces another transition to a fully spin-polarized ferromagnetic Wigner film.     

Nondiffusive spin dynamics in a two-dimensional electron gas

We describe measurements of spin dynamics in the two-dimensional electron gas in GaAs/GaAlAs quantum wells. Optical techniques, including transient spin-grating spectroscopy, are used to probe the relaxation rates of spin polarization waves in the wave vector range from zero to 6x10(4) cm-1. We find that the spin polarization lifetime is maximal at a nonzero wave vector, in contrast with expectations based on ordinary spin diffusion, but in quantitative agreement with recent theories that treat diffusion in the presence of spin-orbit coupling.     

Mapping the surface spin structure of large unit cells: reconstructed mn films on Fe(001)

Using spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscopy with ring electrodes, the in-plane spin polarization of Mn on Fe(001) was measured. A large (square root 10 x 2 square root 10)R18.4 degrees reconstruction with a noncollinear spin structure was found. By combining maps of the spin polarization for two orthogonal in-plane directions, the vector field of the polarization in the unit cell could be constructed. The complex behavior is explained on the basis of the tendency of Mn to form antiferromagnetically coupled surface dimers.     

Consistency in formulation of spin current and torque associated with a variance of angular momentum

Based on the Noether's theorem, we develop systematically and rigorously the spin-dependent formulation of the conservation laws. The effect of the electronic polarization due to the spin-orbit coupling is included in the Maxwell equations. The polarization is related to the antisymmetric components of spin current, and it provides a possibility to measure the spin current directly. The variances of spin and orbit angular momentum currents imply a torque on the "electric dipole" associated with the moving electron. The dependencies of the torque on the polarization and the force on the motions of spin-polarized electrons in a two-dimensional electron gas with the Rashba spin-orbit coupling are discussed.     

Thermoelectric response of spin polarization in Rashba spintronic systems

Motivated by the recent discovery of a strongly spin–orbit-coupled two-dimensional (2D) electron gas near the surface of Rashba semiconductors BiTeX (X= Cl, Br, I), we calculate the thermoelectric responses of spin polarization in a 2D Rashba model. By self-consistently determining the energyand band-dependent transport time, we present an exact solution of the linearized Boltzmann equation for elastic scattering. Using this solution, we find a non-Edelstein electric-field-induced spin polarization that is linear in the Fermi energy E_F when E_F lies below the band crossing point. The spin polarization efficiency, which is the electric-field-induced spin polarization divided by the driven electric current, increases for smaller E_F .We show that, as a function of E_F, the temperaturegradient-induced spin polarization increases continuously to a saturation value when EF decreases below the band crossing point. As the temperature tends to zero, the temperature-gradient-induced spin polarization vanishes.     

Monopolar optical orientation of electron spins in bulk semiconductors and heterostructures

It is shown that intraband absorption of circularly polarized light leads to spin polarization of the electron gas. A theory of this monopolar optical spin orientation is developed for indirect intraband transitions in bulk semiconductors and for indirect intrasubband and direct intersubband transitions in quantum wells.     

Spectral dependence of spin photocurrent and current-induced spin polarization in an InGaAs/InAlAs two-dimensional electron gas

The converse effects of spin photocurrent and current induced spin polarization are experimentally demonstrated in a two-dimensional electron gas system with Rashba spin splitting. Their consistency with the strength of the Rashba coupling as measured for the same system from beating of the Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations reveals a unified picture for the spin photocurrent, current-induced spin-polarization, and spin-orbit coupling. In addition, the observed spectral inversion of the spin photocurrent indicates a system with dominating structure inversion asymmetry.     

Dynamic Nuclear Polarization in III–V Semiconductors

We report on electron spin resonance, nuclear magnetic resonance and Overhauser shift experiments on two of the most commonly used III–V semiconductors, GaAs and InP. Localized electron centers in these semiconductors have extended wavefunctions and exhibit strong electron–nuclear hyperfine coupling with the nuclei in their vicinity. These interactions not only play a critical role in electron and nuclear spin relaxation mechanisms, but also result in transfer of spin polarization from the electron spin system to the nuclear spin system. This transfer of polarization, known as dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP), may result in an enhancement of the nuclear spin polarization by several orders of magnitude under suitable conditions. We determine the critical range of doping concentration and temperature conducive to DNP effects by studying these semiconductors with varying doping concentration in a wide temperature range. We show that the electron spin system in undoped InP exhibits electric current-induced spin polarization. This is consistent with model predictions in zinc-blende semiconductors with strong spin–orbit effects.     

磁台阶势垒结构中二维电子气的自旋极化输运

运用散射矩阵方法,研究了台阶磁势垒量子结构中二维电子气的隧穿输运性质.结果表明：在零偏压下,电子传输概率的自旋极化曲线随入射能量的增加而振荡衰减;随着磁台阶数的增加,电子传输概率的自旋极化度最大值减小,同时电子传输概率的自旋极化度振荡衰减也越来越慢;随着磁台阶的总宽度增加,电子传输概率的自旋极化曲线出现更明显的振荡,电子隧穿磁台阶势垒表现出明显的量子尺寸效应;在偏置电压的作用下,电子传输概率的自旋极化度在宽广的入射能量区出现明显的振荡增大,电子隧穿磁台阶势垒表现出更明显的自旋过滤效应. 关键词： 磁台阶势垒 自旋极化 自旋过滤     

The effects of Mn concentration on spin-polarized transport through ZnSe/ZnMnSe/ZnSe heterostructures

We have studied the effects of Mn concentration on the ballistic spin-polarized transport through diluted magnetic semiconductor heterostructures with a single paramagnetic layer. Using a fitted function for zero-field conduction band offset based on the experimental data, we found that the spin current densities strongly depend on the Mn concentration. The magnitude as well as the sign of the electron-spin polarization and the tunnel magnetoresistance can be tuned by varying the Mn concentration, the width of the paramagnetic layer, and the external magnetic field. By an appropriate choice of the Mn concentration and the width of the paramagnetic layer, the degree of spin polarization for the output current can reach 100% and the device can be used as a spin filter.     

From spin flip excitations to the spin susceptibility enhancement of a two-dimensional electron gas

The g-factor enhancement of the spin-polarized two-dimensional electron gas was measured directly over a wide range of spin polarizations, using spin flip resonant Raman scattering spectroscopy on two-dimensional electron gases embedded in Cd(1-x)Mn(x)Te semimagnetic quantum wells. At zero Raman transferred momentum, the single-particle spin flip excitation, energy Z*, coexists in the Raman spectrum with the spin flip wave of energy Z, the bare giant Zeeman splitting. We compare the measured g-factor enhancement with recent spin-susceptibility enhancement theories and deduce the spin-polarization dependence of the mass renormalization.