Abstract
We study the spin-dependent transport of spin-1/2 electrons through an interferometer made of two elongated quantum dots or quantum nanowires, which are subject to both an Aharonov–Bohm flux and (Rashba and Dresselhaus) spin–orbit interactions. Similar to the diamond interferometer proposed in our previous papers (Aharony et al 2011 Phys. Rev. B 84 035323; Matityahu et al 2013 Phys. Rev. B 87 205438), we show that the double-dot interferometer can serve as a perfect spin filter due to a spin interference effect. By appropriately tuning the external electric and magnetic fields which determine the Aharonov–Casher and Aharonov–Bohm phases, and with some relations between the various hopping amplitudes and site energies, the interferometer blocks electrons with a specific spin polarization, independent of their energy. The blocked polarization and the polarization of the outgoing electrons is controlled solely by the external electric and magnetic fields and do not depend on the energy of the electrons. Furthermore, the spin filtering conditions become simpler in the linear-response regime, in which the electrons have a fixed energy. Unlike the diamond interferometer, spin filtering in the double-dot interferometer does not require high symmetry between the hopping amplitudes and site energies of the two branches of the interferometer and thus may be more appealing from an experimental point of view.
Highlights
Spin-dependent electrons transport in low-dimensional mesoscopic systems has recently drawn much attention due to its potential for future electronic device applications in the field of spintronics [1, 2, 3, 4]
In addition to the improvement of contemporary technology, spintronics may contribute to the field of quantum computation and quantum information, in which the quantum information may be contained in the unit vector along which the spin is polarized [5]
The conditions for full spin filtering, independent of the electron energy, require perfect symmetry between the two branches of the interferometer [30, 32]. Having fulfilled these symmetry relations, the polarization of the outgoing electrons is independent of energy and completely determined by the AB and AC phases [30, 32]
Summary
Spin-dependent electrons transport in low-dimensional mesoscopic systems has recently drawn much attention due to its potential for future electronic device applications in the field of spintronics [1, 2, 3, 4]. The conditions for full spin filtering, independent of the electron energy, require perfect symmetry between the two branches of the interferometer [30, 32] Having fulfilled these symmetry relations, the polarization of the outgoing electrons is independent of energy and completely determined by the AB and AC phases [30, 32] (and by the external electric and magnetic fields perpendicular to the interferometer plane).
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