Field-assisted spin-polarized electron transport through a single quantum well with spin-orbit coupling

We have investigated theoretically the field-driven electron transport through a single-quantum-well semiconductor heterostructure with spin-orbit coupling.The splitting of the asymmetric Fano-type resonance peaks due to the Dresselhaus spin-orbit coupling is found to be highly sensitive to the direction of the incident electron.The splitting of the Fano-type resonance induces the spin-polarization dependent electron current.The location and the line shape of the Fano-type resonance can be controlled by adjusting the energy and the direction of the incident electron,the oscillation frequency,and the amplitude of the external field.These interesting features may be used to devise tunable spin filters and realize pure spin transmission currents.     

太赫兹场辅助的单量子阱自旋共振输运

在考虑自旋轨道耦合的情况下,研究了通过一非磁性半导体异质结的太赫兹光子驱动的电子输运,研究结果显示频率相关的电导谱出现不对称的Fano型共振的劈裂;随着振荡场幅度的增加,多光子辅助过程出现;通过改变外加场参数,可以实现自旋过滤目的,特别是在干涉相消Fano型共振的频率位置时,出现了100%纯的自旋极化流.这些属性有助于大范围可调的自旋过滤器的实现并且可以得到纯的自旋透射流.     

Electron resonance-transmission through a driven quantum well with spin--orbit coupling

We have studied the spin-dependent electron transmission through a quantum well driven by both dipole-type and homogeneous oscillating fields. The numerical evaluations show that Dresselhaus spin-orbit coupling induces the splitting of asymmetric Fano-type resonance peaks in the conductivity, in which the dipole modulation and the homogeneous modulation are equivalent. Therefore, we predict that the dipole-type oscillation, which is more practical in the experimental setup, can be used to realize the tunable spin filters by adjusting the field oscillation-frequency and the amplitude as well.     

Field-assisted electron transport through a symmetric double-well structure with spin--orbit coupling and the Fano-resonance induced spin filtering

We have investigated theoretically the field-driven electron-transport through a double-quantum-well semiconductor-heterostructure with spin-orbit coupling. The numerical results demonstrate that the transmission spectra are divided into two sets due to the bound-state level-splitting and each set contains two asymmetric resonance peaks which may be selectively suppressed by changing the difference in phase between two driving fields. When the phase difference changes from 0 to π, the dip of asymmetric resonance shifts from one side of resonance peak to the other side and the asymmetric Fano resonance degenerates into the symmetric Breit-Wigner resonance at a critical value of phase difference. Within a given range of incident electron energy, the spin polarization of transmission current is completely governed by the phase difference which may be used to realize the tunable spin filtering.     

Spin-dependent Breit-Wigner and Fano resonances in photon-assisted electron transport through a semiconductor heterostructure

We theoretically investigate the electron transmission through a seven-layer semiconductor heterostructure with the Dresselhaus spin-orbit coupling under two applied oscillating fields. Numerical results show that both of the spin-dependent symmetric Breit-Wigner and the asymmetric Fano resonances appear and that the properties of these two types of resonance peaks are dependent on the amplitude and the relative phases of the two applied oscillating fields. The modulation of the spin-polarization efficiency of transmitted electrons by the relative phase is also discussed.     

Characteristics of anomalous Hall effect in spin-polarized two-dimensional electron gases in the presence of both intrinsic, extrinsic, and external electric-field induced spinben orbit couplings

The various competing contributions to the anomalous Hall effect in spin-polarized two-dimensional electron gases in the presence of both intrinsic, extrinsic and external electric-field induced spin-orbit coupling were investigated theoretically. Based on a unified semiclassical theoretical approach, it is shown that the total anomalous Hall conductivity can be expressed as the sum of three distinct contributions in the presence of these competing spin-orbit interactions, namely an intrinsic contribution determined by the Berry curvature in the momentum space, an extrinsic contribution determined by the modified Bloch band group velocity and an extrinsic contribution determined by spin-orbit-dependent impurity scattering. The characteristics of these competing contributions are discussed in detail in the paper.     

Nonequilibrium spin-polarized transport through two parallel-coupled quantum dots

Spin-polarized transport through an Aharonov–Bohm ring containing two quantum dots (QDs) in each of its arms is studied by using the nonequilibrium Green’s function technique. We take both the Rashba spin-orbit interaction that exists in one of the QDs, and an inhomogeneous magnetic flux penetrating through the ring, into consideration. It is found that a 100% spin-polarized current can be driven out of the QDs ring, and both the spin directions and the magnitude of the outgoing current can be controlled. The origin of the pure spin-up or spin-down current is interpreted in terms of the spin accumulation in the QDs. This device is realizable by presently available technologies and can be used as a spin filter.     

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.     

自旋轨道耦合Su-Schrieffer-Heeger原子链系统的电子输运特性

在Su-Schrieffer-Heeger (SSH)原子链中,电子在胞内和胞间的跳跃依赖于其自旋时,即SSH原子链存在自旋轨道耦合作用时,存在不同缠绕数的非平庸拓扑边缘态.如何探测自旋轨道耦合SSH原子链不同缠绕数的边缘态是一个重要问题.本文在紧束缚近似下研究了自旋轨道耦合SSH原子链的非平庸拓扑边缘态性质及其零能附近的电子输运特性.研究发现四重和二重简并边缘态的缠绕数分别为2和1;并且仅当源极入射电子的自旋被极化(铁磁电极)时,自旋轨道耦合SSH原子链在零能附近的电子输运特性才能反映其边缘态的能谱特性.尤其是,随着自旋轨道耦合SSH原子链与左、右导线之间的耦合强度由弱到强改变,对于缠绕数为2的四重简并边缘态,入射电子在零能附近的透射峰数目将从4个变为0;而对于缠绕数为1的二重简并边缘态情形,其透射峰数目将从2个变为0.因此,在源极为铁磁电极的情形下,通过观察自旋轨道耦合SSH原子链在零能附近电子共振透射峰的数目随着其与左、右导线之间耦合强度的变化,来探测其不同缠绕数的边缘态.上述结果为基于电子输运特性探测自旋轨道耦合SSH原子链不同拓扑性质的边缘态提供了一种可选择的理论方案.     

Spin transport in a chain of polygonal quantum rings with Dresselhaus spin-orbit coupling

Using a transfer matrix method, we investigate spin transport through a chain of polygonal rings with Dresselhaus spin-orbit coupling(DSOC). The spin conductance is dependent on the number of sides in the polygons. When DSOC is considered in a chain which also has Rashba spin-orbit coupling(RSOC) of the same magnitude, the total conductance is the same as that for the same chain with no SOC. However, when the two types of SOC have different values, there results a unique anisotropic conductance.     

Ground state of rotating ultracold quantum gases with anisotropic spin orbit coupling and concentrically coupled annular potential

Motivated by recent experimental realization of synthetic spin–orbit coupling in neutral quantum gases, we consider the quasi-two-dimensional rotating two-component Bose–Einstein condensates with anisotropic Rashba spin–orbit coupling subject to concentrically coupled annular potential. For experimentally feasible parameters, the rotating condensate exhibits a variety of rich ground state structures by varying the strengths of the spin–orbit coupling and rotational frequency.Moreover, the phase transitions between different ground state phases induced by the anisotropic spin–orbit coupling are obviously different from the isotropic one.     

Electron transport of a quantum wire with spatially periodic spin–orbit coupling

Electron transport properties of an ideal one-dimensional (1D) quantum wire are studied including spatially periodic Rashba spin–orbit coupling (SOC) and Dresselhaus SOC. By comparing with the previous work [S.J. Gong, Z.Q. Yang, J. Phys. Condens. Matter 19 (2007) 446209], two transmission gaps appear in the transmission probability of electrons and their widths are also broadened dramatically. Moreover, it is found that their widths are sensitive not only to the strength of SOCs but also to the length ratio of SOCs segment and non-SOCs segment. In addition, a ‘circle-type’ transmission behavior has been found by tuning the strength of SOCs continuously. Our results may extend the previous work and provide an more effective method to manipulate the current in nanoelectric devices.     

Tunneling conductance of a two-dimensional electron gas with Dresselhaus spin-orbit coupling

We theoretically studied the spin-dependent charge transport in a two-dimensional electron gas with Dresselhaus spin-orbit coupling (DSOC) and metal junctions. It is shown that the DSOC energy can be directly measured from the tunneling conductance spectrum. We found that spin polarization of the conductance in the propagation direction can be obtained by injecting from the DSOC system. We also considered the effect of the interfacial scattering barrier (both spin-flip and non-spin-flip scattering) on the overall conductance and the spin polarization of the conductance. It is found that the increase of spin-flip scattering can enhance the conductance under certain conditions. Moreover, both types of scattering can increase the spin polarization below the branches crossing of the energy band.     

自旋轨道耦合作用下石墨烯pn结的电子输运性质

本文研究了自旋轨道耦合作用下石墨烯纳米带pn结的电子输运性质. 当粒子的入射能量处于pn结两端势能之间时, 粒子将会以隧穿的形式通过石墨烯pn结, 同时伴随着电子空穴转换. 电导随费米能的变化曲线呈不等高阶梯状, 并在费米能位于pn结两端能量中点时取得最大值. 随着石墨烯pn结长度的增加, 电导以指数形式衰减. 自旋轨道耦合作用导致的能隙会使电导显著减小, 而边缘态的粒子则可以几乎毫无阻碍地通过pn结. 本文用一个简单的子带隧穿模型解释了上述特征. 最后还研究了在pn转换区中掺入替位杂质的情况. 在弱杂质下, 电导随费米能变化的曲线将不再对称; 当杂质较强时, 仅边界态的形成的电导台阶能够保持.     

含stubs量子波导系统的电子自旋极化输运性质

理论上研究了含stubs的Rashba自旋轨道耦合（spin-orbit coupling, SOC）量子波导系统的自旋极化输运性质. 利用晶格格林函数方法,发现由于stubs和SOC产生的势阱使系统中出现束缚态,这些束缚态与传播态之间相互干涉导致电导中出现Fano共振结构,同时在对应的自旋极化率中也出现Fano共振或反共振结构. 此外,由于系统结构的突变使电子被反向散射和量子干涉效应,电导中出现一系列的共振峰. 但是,当系统加上外磁场后,所有这些效应都被抑制, 系统重新出现量子化电导, 同时自旋电导也出 关键词： 量子波导 自旋极化输运 自旋轨道耦合     

Finite size effects on helical edge states in HgTe quantum wells with the spin orbit coupling due to bulk- and structure-inversion asymmetries

There is a quantum spin Hall state in the inverted HgTe quantum well, characterized by the topologically protected gapless helical edge states lying within the bulk gap. It has been found that for a strip of finite width, the edge states on the two sides can couple together to produce a gap in the spectrum. The phenomenon is called the finite size effect in quantum spin Hall systems. In this paper, we investigate the effects of the spin-orbit coupling due to bulk- and structure-inversion asymmetries on the finite size effect in the HgTe quantum well by means of the numerical diagonalization method. When the bulk-inversion asymmetry is taken into account, it is shown that the energy gap Eg of the edge states due to the finite size effect features an oscillating exponential decay as a function of the strip width of the HgTe quantum well. The origin of this oscillatory pattern on the exponential decay is explained. Furthermore, if the bulk- and structure-inversion asymmetries are considered simultaneously, the structure-inversion asymmetry will induce a shift of the energy gap Eg closing point. Finally, based on the roles of the bulk- and structure-inversion asymmetries on the finite size effects, a way to realize the quantum spin Hall field effect transistor is proposed.     

Time-dependent electron transport through an Aharonov–Bohm ring embedded with two quantum dots

The time-dependent electron transport through an Aharonov–Bohm ring embedded with two quantum dots in the presence of external microwave (MW) fields are investigated theoretically by using the nonequilibrium Green's function method. Whether the MW field can induce or suppress the Fano resonance depends on the part to which the field is applied. When the MW field is applied only to the two quantum dots, the photon-assisted Fano peaks appear at the sidebands of the original Fano peak. The existence of the original Fano peak or the photon-assisted ones can be controlled by the field strength. When the MW field is applied only to one lead, the original Fano peak is suppressed by the MW field, and the negative current caused by the electron–photon pump effects is found.     

Transport polygonal properties in a multi-terminal regular quantum ring with Rashba spin-orbit coupling

<正>Transport properties in a multi-terminal regular polygonal quantum ring with Rashba spin-orbit coupling(SOC) are investigated analytically using quantum networks and the transport matrix method.The results show that conductances remain at exactly the same values when the output leads are located at axisymmetric positions.However,for the nonaxisymmetrical case,there is a phase difference between the upper and lower arm,which leads to zero conductances appearing periodically.An isotropy of the conductance is destroyed by the Rashba SOC effect in the axisymmetric case. In addition,the position of zero conductance is regulated with the strength of the Rashba SOC.     

Effect of Rashba spin-orbit coupling on electron transport in asymmetrically coupled regular polygonal quantum ring

The effect of Rashba spin-orbit coupling (SOC) on electron transport in asymmetrically coupled regular polygonal quantum ring is investigated. In absence of SOC, two kinds of conductance zeros appear periodically. In presence of SOC, one kind of conductance zero can be lifted by the Rashba SOC, the others persist.     

Current-induced spin polarization in a spin-polarized two-dimensional electron gas with spin-orbit coupling

The current-induced spin polarization (CISP) is investigated in a combined Rashba-Dresselhaus spin-orbit-coupled two-dimensional electron gas, subjected to a homogeneous out-of-plane magnetization. It is found that, in addition to the usual collision-related in-plane parts of CISP, there are two impurity-density-free contributions, arising from intrinsic and disorder-mediated mechanisms. The intrinsic parts of spin polarization are related to the Berry curvature, analogous with the anomalous and spin Hall effects. For short-range collision, the disorder-mediated spin polarizations completely cancel the intrinsic ones and the total in-plane components of CISP equal those for systems without magnetization. However, for remote disorders, this cancellation does not occur and the total in-plane components of CISP strongly depend on the spin-orbit interaction coefficients and magnetization for both pure Rashba and combined Rashba-Dresselhaus models.