Abstract
We report the observation of a robust anomalous conductance plateau near G = 0.5 G0 (G0 = 2e2/h) in asymmetrically biased AlGaAs/GaAs quantum point contacts (QPCs), with in-plane side gates in the presence of lateral spin-orbit coupling. This is interpreted as evidence of spin polarization in the narrow portion of the QPC. The appearance and evolution of the conductance anomaly has been studied at T = 4.2 K as a function of the potential asymmetry between the side gates. Because GaAs is a material with established processing techniques, high mobility, and a relatively high spin coherence length, the observation of spontaneous spin polarization in a side-gated GaAs QPC could eventually lead to the realization of an all-electric spin-valve at tens of degrees Kelvin.
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