Spin polarized field emission from Fe and Co-coated W tips

Spin polarized field emission from thin film Fe- and Co-coated W(001) and W(111) tips has been investigated. A transverse spin polarization component is detected in each case. For W(111) tips, the azimuthal orientation of polarization showed only a weak preference for the set of 〈1?10〉 and 〈112?〉 tip directions due to the competing influence of magnetocrystalline anisotropy and tip morphology on tip magnetization. On the contrary, the polarization direction for W(001) tips exhibited a strong preference for alignment with the transverse low-index crystallographic directions, i.e. the 〈110〉 for Co and 〈100〉 for Fe. Superparamagnetic fluctuations of the tip magnetization are evident in the polarization direction of emitted electrons when film coatings are very thin. At marginally larger thickness, long-term stability of the polarization magnitude and direction is observed at 300 K. A method for changing the stable spin polarization direction is also presented that exploits spontaneous flipping of the tip magnetization at elevated temperature.     

Quantum spin transport through Aharonov--Bohm ring with a tangent magnetic field

Quantum spin transport in a mesoscopic Aharonov--Bohm ring with two leads subject to a magnetic field with circular configuration is investigated by means of one-dimensional quantum waveguide theory.Within the framework of Landauer--B\"{u}ttiker formalism, the polarization direction of transmitted electrons can be controlled either by the AB magnetic flux or by the tangent magnetic field. In particular, the spin flips can be induced by hopping the AB magnetic flux or the tangent field.     

Die Rotation des Elektronenspins beim ebenen Tunnelprozeß mit überlagertem homogenem Magnetfeld

Measurements of the spin polarization of field emitted electrons from various ferromagnetic (Gd, Ni, Fe) and nonferromagnetic metals (W) show a steady increase of the angle? _s between momentum and electron spin with increasing external magnetic field (spin rotation). This effect is refered to the coupling between the magnetic moment of the electron and the strong electric field in the potential barrier at the emitter surface during the tunneling process. A formal application of the equation of spin motion derived by Bargmann, Michel and Telegdi for an electron moving in homogeneous electromagnetic fields delivers a quantitative agreement with the experimental results.     

自旋相关的电子隧穿和自旋极化

研究了电子的自旋相关的隧穿和极化。在外加磁场的作用下，自旋向上的电子与自旋向下的电子具有不同的隧穿系数。当电子的自旋方向与磁场方向相反时，其隧穿概率受到磁场的抑制而变小；反之，当两平行时，电子的了隧穿系数增大。这种差异可以用本中定义的自旋极化率来表示。本对不同磁场下的自旋极化率进行了计算，结果也表明当电子的动能较小，这种自旋极化的效应越显。     

Emission of relativistic electrons in a periodic magnetic field

The polarization properties and the angular and spectral-angular distribution of the emission of electrons moving in a periodic magnetic field are investigated. The emission power is expressed in the near-axial approximation in terms of the Fourier component of the vector potential of the external magnetic field.Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 7, pp. 16–20, July, 1981.     

Evolution of the theory of a “luminous” electron

A brief survey is presented here of studies contributing to the theory of synchrotron radiation and several quantum effects which accompany the motion of electrons in a magnetic field. Equations which describe the amplitude characteristics of radial and axial oscillations of an electron moving in a nonuniform magnetic field with a weak focus are derived on the basis of the quantum theory. The characteristics of electron spin are analyzed, with oscillations in a nonuniform field (spontaneous polarization) taken into account. Depolarizing spin resonances in accumulators are interpreted in terms of the quantum theory.     

Ⅱ-Ⅵ族稀磁半导体多层结构中的自旋极化隧穿

采用转移矩阵法和Airy函数,研究了ZnSe/ZnMnSe/ZnSe/ZnBeSe/ZnSe/ZnBeSe/ZnSe异质结构的自旋极化输运。在外加偏压和磁场对电子透射系数和自旋极化率的影响方面,所得到的结论显现出复杂而有趣的特性。磁场对自旋向上和向下电子隧穿的影响是不同的:对于自旋向上情况,出现双共振向单共振转换现象。     

Effects of Rashba spin–orbit coupling and a magnetic field on a polygonal quantum ring

Using standard quantum network method, we analytically investigate the effect of Rashba spin–orbit coupling (RSOC) and a magnetic field on the spin transport properties of a polygonal quantum ring. Using Landauer–Büttiker formula, we have found that the polarization direction and phase of transmitted electrons can be controlled by both the magnetic field and RSOC. A device to generate a spin-polarized conductance in a polygon with an arbitrary number of sides is discussed. This device would permit precise control of spin and selectively provide spin filtering for either spin up or spin down simply by interchanging the source and drain.     

Quantum theory of a free electron laser

Spontaneous emission by electrons moving in a magnetic field constant in time and periodic in space (with circular polarization) is calculated using exact solutions of the corresponding Dirac equation. In addition to the known transitions we find two harmonics connected with spin flip processes, which are, however, strongly suppressed. The gain of the free electron laser is recalculated from the rate for spontaneous emission. The results obtained by classical methods are corroborated.Supported in part by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft     

Vertex correction of the anisotropic magnetic impurities to the spin polarization of 2D electron gas

In terms of Kubo's formula and Green's function method, for the two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) with Rashba spin-orbit coupling (SOC), we study the spin polarization due to the effect from magnetic impurities with anisotropic spin dependent delta type coupling to electrons when an external dc electric field in plane is applied. The vertex correction of impurities in ladder approximation is carried out in the limit of EF?1/τ, Δ. We find that the strength of spin polarization can be significantly modified by vertex correction and the spin polarization is relevant to the anisotropy coefficient γ, but the direction of net spin polarization cannot be changed.     

Ferroelectric polarization flop in a frustrated magnet MnWO4 induced by a magnetic field

The relationship between magnetic order and ferroelectric properties has been investigated for MnWO4 with a long-wavelength magnetic structure. Spontaneous electric polarization is observed in an elliptical spiral spin phase. The magnetic-field dependence of electric polarization indicates that the noncollinear spin configuration plays a key role for the appearance of the ferroelectric phase. An electric polarization flop from the b direction to the a direction has been observed when a magnetic field above 10 T is applied along the b axis. This result demonstrates that an electric polarization flop can be induced by a magnetic field in a simple system without rare-earth 4f moments.     

Depolarization of the photoluminescence and spin relaxation in n-doped GaAs

Optically oriented electron spin lifetime in n-doped gallium arsenide was measured via depolarization of the photoluminescence (PL) in a transverse magnetic field (Hanle effect). In order to measure the PL polarization, a time-resolved pump-probe experiment, where a pump pulse generates spin-polarized electrons and a probe pulse monitors their polarization, was employed. The PL polarization in dependences of the pump-probe delay, external magnetic field as well as of the sample temperature was studied. The PL polarization was found to decay exponentially with the pump-probe delay, from which the spin lifetime of the electrons was measured. The measured value was found to depend on the strength of the magnetic field and sample temperature.     

Efficacy of proposed 2DEG-based photoconductive antenna using magnetic bias-controlled carrier transport

An externally applied magnetic field was used to induce increased photocarrier transport along the high mobility channel in GaAs/AlGaAs modulation-doped heterostructures (MDH). The terahertz (THz) emission from GaAs/AlGaAs MDH increases with increasing magnetic field, applied parallel to the heterojunction. The THz emission enhancement factors due to the magnetic field in MDH are higher than in undoped GaAs/AlGaAs heterojunction and in bulk SI-GaAs. This demonstrates that properly utilizing the high-mobility channel for carrier transport promises to be a viable design consideration for efficient THz photoconductive antenna (PCA) devices. Moreover, it was observed that for MDH, as well as for an undoped GaAs/AlGaAs heterojunction, the enhancement for one magnetic field direction is greater than the enhancement for the opposite direction. This is in contrast to the symmetric enhancement with magnetic field direction observed in a bulk SI-GaAs. An analysis of photocarrier trajectories under an external magnetic field supports the explanation that the enhancement asymmetry with magnetic field direction in MDH is due to the cycloid motion of electrons as affected by the GaAs/AlGaAs interface.     

Spin-dependent recombination in GaAsN solid solutions

Room-temperature spin-dependent recombination in a series of GaAs_1?xN_x solid solutions (x = 2.1, 2.7, 3.4%) has been observed as manifested by a more than threefold decrease in intensity of the edge photoluminescence upon switching from circular to linear polarization of the exciting light or upon the application of a transverse magnetic field (～300 G). The interband absorption of the circularly polarized light is accompanied by the spin polarization of conduction electrons, which reaches 35% with an increase in the pumping level. The observed effects are explained in terms of the dynamic polarization of deep paramagnetic centers and the spin-dependent trapping of conduction electrons on these centers. The electron spin relaxation time, as estimated from the dependence of the edge photoluminescence depolarization in the transverse magnetic field (the Hanle effect) on the pumping intensity, is on the order of 1 ns. According to the adopted theory, the electron spin relaxation time in the presence of spin-dependent recombination is determined by a slow spin relaxation of localized electrons. The sign (positive) of the g factor of localized electrons has been experimentally determined from the direction of the magnetic-field-induced rotation of their average spin observed in the three GaAsN crystals studied.     

Properties of specific electron helical states leads to spin filtering effect in dsDNA molecules

In a recent paper, Gohler et al. [1] report that a high efficiency electron spin filter can be constructed from an adsorbed monolayer of double-stranded DNA (dsDNA). Understanding the mechanisms responsible for spin filtering under these conditions has proven to be a challenge, as classical analysis fails to account for the high degree of polarization observed. In this paper we show that these observations can be understood since conduction electrons in the DNA molecule are characterized by specific helical states having a magnetic moment opposite to the direction of the electron wavevector. These helical states are fundamental to the quantum-mechanical properties of periodic structures with helical symmetry. Free electrons passing through the DNA monolayer interact with these helical states, but the strength of this interaction depends on the relative orientation of the electron spin and the magnetic moment associated with the possible helical states. One of these configurations leads to a negligible interaction resulting in high spin polarization in the transmitted electron beam. The overall effect is that the free electron flux component with a magnetic moment in an opposite direction to the magnetic moment of the helical states can pass through the dsDNA monolayer without absorption, while the other spin component is highly absorbed by dsDNA. This is consistent with the finding that a monolayer of single-stranded DNA does not exhibit similar spin filtering properties.     

Subsecond spin relaxation times in quantum dots at zero applied magnetic field due to a strong electron-nuclear interaction

A key to ultralong electron spin memory in quantum dots (QDs) at zero magnetic field is the polarization of the nuclei, such that the electron spin is stabilized along the average nuclear magnetic field. We demonstrate that spin-polarized electrons in n-doped (In,Ga)As/GaAs QDs align the nuclear field via the hyperfine interaction. A feedback onto the electrons occurs, leading to stabilization of their polarization due to formation of a nuclear spin polaron [I. A. Merkulov, Phys. Solid State 40, 930 (1998)]. Spin depolarization of both systems is consequently greatly reduced, and spin memory of the coupled electron-nuclear spin system is retained over 0.3 sec at temperature of 2 K.     

Direct observation of the electron spin relaxation induced by nuclei in quantum dots

We have studied the electron spin relaxation in semiconductor InAs/GaAs quantum dots by time-resolved optical spectroscopy. The average spin polarization of the electrons in an ensemble of p-doped quantum dots decays down to 1/3 of its initial value with a characteristic time T(Delta) approximately 500 ps, which is attributed to the hyperfine interaction with randomly oriented nuclear spins. We show that this efficient electron spin relaxation mechanism can be suppressed by an external magnetic field as small as 100 mT.     

Demonstration of electrical spin injection into a semiconductor using a semimagnetic spin aligner

Spin injection into semiconductors has been a field of growing interest during recent years, because of the large possibilities in basic physics and for device applications that a controlled manipulation of the electrons spin would enable. However, it has proven very difficult to realize such a spin injector experimentally. Here we demonstrate electrical spin injection and detection in a GaAs/AlGaAs p-i-n diode using a semimagnetic II–VI semiconductor (Zn_{1 − x − y}Be_xMn_ySe) as a spin aligner. The degree of circular polarization of the electroluminescence from the diode is related to the spin polarization of the conduction electrons. Thus, it may be used as a detector for injected spin-polarized carriers. Our experimental results indicate a spin polarization of the injected electrons of up to 90% and are reproduced for several samples. The degree of optical polarization depends strongly on the Mn concentration and the thickness of the spin aligner. Electroluminescence from a reference sample without spin aligner as well as photoluminescence after unpolarized excitation in the spin aligner sample show only the intrinsic polarization in an external magnetic field due to the GaAs bandstructure. We can thus exclude side effects from Faraday effect or magnetic circular dichroism in the semimagnetic layer as the origin of the observed circularly polarized electroluminescence.     

Optically detected electron spin polarization and Hanle effect in AlGaAs/GaAs heterostructures

The spin polarization of optically created conduction electrons in p-type AlGaAs/GaAs heterostructures was observed via the degree of circular polarization of the photoluminescence. Application of a magnetic field perpendicular to the propagation of the light allows one to determine the spin relaxation time T₁ and the electron lifetime τ in the conduction band. By tilting the magnetic field with respect to an estimate of the effective nuclear field acting on the electrons can be obtained.     

Motion and radiation of an electron exhibiting a vacuum magnetic moment in the field of a plane electromagnetic wave

A study is made of the motion of an electron exhibiting an anomalous magnetic moment and moving in the field of a plane circularly polarized electromagnetic wave. An exact solution is found to the generalized Dirac equation and is utilized to study the emission of electromagnetic radiation from the electron (the Compton effect). It is shown that allowance for the anomalous magnetic moment of the electron leads to: a frequency shift, a change in the total radiated power, polarization of the radiation, and to spin effects.