Coherent spin rotations in open driven double quantum dots

Abstract

We analyze coherent spin rotations in a dc biased double quantum dot driven by crossed dc and ac magnetic fields. In this configuration, spatial delocalization due to interdot tunneling competes with intradot spin rotations induced by the time dependent magnetic field, giving rise to a complicated time dependent behavior of the tunneling current. When the Zeeman splitting has the same value in both dots and spin flip is negligible, the electrons remain in the triplet subspace performing coherent spin rotations and current does not flow. This electronic trapping is removed either by finite spin relaxation or when the Zeeman splitting is different in each quantum dot. In the last case, we will show that by applying a resonant bichromatic magnetic field, the electrons become trapped in a coherent superposition of states and electronic transport is blocked. Then, manipulating ac magnetic fields allows one to drive electrons to perform coherent spin rotations which can be unambiguously detected by direct measurement of the tunneling current.