Strain-induced conduction-band spin splitting in GaAs from first-principles calculations

Abstract

We use a recently developed self-consistent $GW$ approximation to perform first-principles calculations of the conduction-band spin splitting in GaAs under [110] strain. The spin-orbit interaction is taken into account as a perturbation to the scalar relativistic Hamiltonian. These are the calculations of conduction-band spin splitting under deformation based on a quasiparticle approach and, because the self-consistent $GW$ scheme accurately reproduces the relevant band parameters, it is expected to be a reliable predictor of spin splittings. We also discuss the spin-relaxation time under [110] strain and show that it exhibits an in-plane anisotropy, which can be exploited to obtain the magnitude and sign of the conduction-band spin splitting experimentally.