Spin-dependent Quantum Interference Research Articles

Radical and quantum interference-enhanced thermoelectric performance of the junctions based on porphyrin dimer molecules

Manipulating the π-electron magnetism of single-molecule junctions is an effective means to improve the electronic and spin-polarized thermoelectric transport properties. Here, using the density functional theory combined with the nonequilibrium Green's function method, we demonstrate that the electronic conductance (σ) of molecular junctions (MJs) can be significantly enhanced by organic radicals due to the shifting of resonant states. Moreover, we find that the spin-dependent quantum interference (SDQI) effects can be largely influenced by organic radicals. The SDQI effects result in nearly 100% spin filtering efficiency in open-shell molecules and greatly enhance the Seebeck coefficients. As a result, the thermoelectric performances of open-shell MJs at room temperature are greatly improved through the combined effects of radicals and SDQI. In particular, the maximum ZTsp in the four radical junctions reaches up to 36.5. Our results show great potential for improving thermoelectric performance through the utilization of quantum interference and organic radical.

Nonmagnetic single-molecule spin-filter based on quantum interference

Key spin transport phenomena, including magnetoresistance and spin transfer torque, cannot be activated without spin-polarized currents, in which one electron spin is dominant. At the nanoscale, the relevant length-scale for modern spintronics, spin current generation is rather limited due to unwanted contributions from poorly spin-polarized frontier states in ferromagnetic electrodes, or too short length-scales for efficient spin splitting by spin-orbit interaction and magnetic fields. Here, we show that spin-polarized currents can be generated in silver-vanadocene-silver single molecule junctions without magnetic components or magnetic fields. In some cases, the measured spin currents approach the limit of ideal ballistic spin transport. Comparison between conductance and shot-noise measurements to detailed calculations reveals a mechanism based on spin-dependent quantum interference that yields very efficient spin filtering. Our findings pave the way for nanoscale spintronics based on quantum interference, with the advantages of low sensitivity to decoherence effects and the freedom to use non-magnetic materials.

Influence of plasma turbulence and exchange-correlation on electron scattering in turbulent plasmas: Spin-interference

The influence of plasma turbulence and exchange corrections due to the spin-channel preference on the electro-electron scattering is investigated in turbulent plasmas. The second-order Eikonal analysis and the effective potential including the far-field interaction term caused by the field fluctuation is applied to obtain the total scattering phase shift in turbulent plasmas. The forward and exchange scattering amplitudes for electron-electron scatterings in the spin-triplet and singlet states are obtained by the Glauber–Eikonal method with the impact-parameter analysis. The differential electron-electron scattering cross section for the total spin states of the scattering system is obtained as a function of the Dupree-turbulence coefficient, impact parameter, collision energy, thermal energy, and Debye length in turbulent plasmas. It is found that the turbulent effect enhances the differential scattering cross section, especially, in forward and backward scattering regions. It is also shown that the differential scattering cross section decreases with an increase of the plasma temperature. In addition, it is found that the influence of spin-dependent quantum interference suppresses the scattering cross section due to the fermionic behavior of plasma electrons.

Spin decoherence of InAs surface electrons by transition metal ions

Spin interactions between a two-dimensional electron system at the InAs surface and transition metal ions, ${\mathrm{Fe}}^{3+}$, ${\mathrm{Co}}^{2+}$, and ${\mathrm{Ni}}^{2+}$, deposited on the InAs surface, are probed by antilocalization measurements. The spin-dependent quantum interference phenomena underlying the quantum transport phenomenon of antilocalization render the technique sensitive to the spin states of the transition metal ions on the surface. The experiments yield data on the magnitude and temperature dependence of the electrons' inelastic scattering rates, spin-orbit scattering rates, and magnetic spin-flip rates as influenced by ${\mathrm{Fe}}^{3+}$, ${\mathrm{Co}}^{2+}$, and ${\mathrm{Ni}}^{2+}$. A high magnetic spin-flip rate is shown to mask the effects of spin-orbit interaction, while the spin-flip rate is shown to scale with the effective magnetic moment of the surface species. The spin-flip rates and their dependence on temperature yield information about the spin states of the transition metal ions at the surface, and in the case of ${\mathrm{Co}}^{2+}$ suggest either a spin transition or formation of a spin-glass system.

Quantum Interference Assisted Spin Filtering in Graphene Nanoflakes.

We demonstrate that hexagonal graphene nanoflakes with zigzag edges display quantum interference (QI) patterns analogous to benzene molecular junctions. In contrast with graphene sheets, these nanoflakes also host magnetism. The cooperative effect of QI and magnetism enables spin-dependent quantum interference effects that result in a nearly complete spin polarization of the current and holds a huge potential for spintronic applications. We understand the origin of QI in terms of symmetry arguments, which show the robustness and generality of the effect. This also allows us to devise a concrete protocol for the electrostatic control of the spin polarization of the current by breaking the sublattice symmetry of graphene, by deposition on hexagonal boron nitride, paving the way to switchable spin filters. Such a system benefits from all of the extraordinary conduction properties of graphene, and at the same time, it does not require any external magnetic field to select the spin polarization, as magnetism emerges spontaneously at the edges of the nanoflake.

Quantum interference effects in molecular spin hybrids

We have studied by means of low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and spectroscopy (STS) single molecular spin hybrids formed upon chemisorbing a polycyclic aromatic, threefold symmetric hydrocarbon molecule on Co(111) nanoislands. The spin-dependent hybridization between the Co $d$ states and the $\ensuremath{\pi}$ orbitals of the molecule leads to a spin-imbalanced electronic structure of the chemisorbed organic molecule. Spin-sensitive measurements reveal that the spin polarization shows intramolecular variations among the different aromatic rings in spite of the highly symmetric adsorption geometry promoted by symmetry matching of the threefold symmetric molecule and the sixfold symmetric Co(111) lattice. Hence the varying degree of spin polarization on the organic molecule does not stem from a different hybridization of the aromatic rings with the Co atoms, but is proposed to be a consequence of the superposition of the spin polarization of the molecule and the spatially modulated spin polarization of the spin-dependent quantum interference pattern of the Co(111) surface state.

Spin-dependent quantum interference in photoemission process from spin-orbit coupled states

Spin–orbit interaction entangles the orbitals with the different spins. The spin–orbital-entangled states were discovered in surface states of topological insulators. However, the spin–orbital-entanglement is not specialized in the topological surface states. Here, we show the spin–orbital texture in a surface state of Bi(111) by laser-based spin- and angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy (laser-SARPES) and describe three-dimensional spin-rotation effect in photoemission resulting from spin-dependent quantum interference. Our model reveals that, in the spin–orbit-coupled systems, the spins pointing to the mutually opposite directions are independently locked to the orbital symmetries. Furthermore, direct detection of coherent spin phenomena by laser-SARPES enables us to clarify the phase of the dipole transition matrix element responsible for the spin direction in photoexcited states. These results permit the tuning of the spin polarization of optically excited electrons in solids with strong spin–orbit interaction.

Spin-dependent quantum interference in nonlocal graphene spin valves.

Up to date, all spin transport experiments on graphene were done in a semiclassical regime, disregarding quantum transport properties such as phase coherence and interference. Here we show that in a quantum coherent graphene nanostructure the nonlocal voltage is strongly modulated. Using nonlocal measurements, we separate the signal in spin-dependent and spin-independent contributions. We show that the spin-dependent contribution is about 2 orders of magnitude larger than the spin-independent one, when corrected for the finite polarization of the electrodes. The nonlocal spin signal is not only strongly modulated but also changes polarity as a function of the applied gate voltage. By locally tuning the carrier density in the constriction via a side gate electrode we show that the constriction plays a major role in this effect. Our results show the potential of quantum coherent graphene nanostructures for the use in future spintronic devices.

Detailed analysis of spin-dependent quantum interference effects in magnetic tunnel junctions with Fe quantum wells

We investigated spin-dependent quantum interference effects in Cr(001)/wedge Fe(001)/MgO(001)/Fe(001) magnetic tunnel junctions by dI/dV measurements. dI/dV intensities were mapped two-dimensionally as a function of applied voltage and Fe thickness, indicating a clear signature of quantum well (QW) states in the ultrathin Fe (001) electrode. However, resonant positions of QW states were systematically shifted by one monolayer when compared with the first-principles calculation results. X-ray absorption spectroscopy and magnetic circular dichroism measurements were also performed. While Fe oxide presence at Fe/MgO interface was ruled out, Fe/Cr intermixing could not be excluded. Hence, controlling the Fe/Cr interface may affect QW state.

Spin-dependent electron transport in a Rashba quantum wire with rough edges

We investigate theoretically the spin-dependent electron transport in a Rashba quantum wire with rough edges. The charge and spin conductances are calculated as function of the electron energy or the wire length by adopting the spinresolved lattice Green function method. For a single disordered Rashba wire, it is found that the charge conductance quantization is destroyed by the edge disorder. However, a nonzero spin conductance can be generated and its amplitude can be manipulated by the wire length, which is attributed to the broken structure symmetries and the spin-dependent quantum interference induced by the rough boundaries. For a large ensemble of disordered Rashba wires, the average charge conductance decreases monotonically, however, the average spin conductance increases to a maximum value and then decreases, with increasing wire length. Further study shows that the influence of the rough edges on the charge and spin conductances can be eliminated by applying a perpendicular magnetic field to the wire. In addition, a very large magnitude of the spin conductance can be achieved when the electron energy lies between the two thresholds of each pair of subbands. These findings may not only benefit to further apprehend the transport properties of the Rashba low-dimensional systems but also provide some theoretical instructions to the application of spintronics devices.

Spin Filtering in a Rashba Electron Waveguide Induced by Edge Disorder

We theoretically study the spin-dependent electron transport in a Rashba electron waveguide with rough edges, attached to ideal leads without spin-orbit interaction. The influence of the edge disorder on the charge and spin conductances is clarified by using the spin-resolved lattice Green function method. It is found that a spin-polarized current can be generated in the output lead and its spin polarization can be manipulated by varying the waveguide length. The underlying physics is attributed to the broken longitudinal symmetry and the spin-dependent quantum interference induced by the rough boundaries. Our results may provide a new method to design a spin filter without using magnetic materials or applying a magnetic field.

A single-spin-current thermal generator

We theoretically propose a single-spin-current thermal generator consisting of a Rashba quantum dot (QD), one hot electrode and two cold electrodes. The Rashba QD is directly coupled to the three electrodes, and there exists a bridge channel between the two cold electrodes. Our results show the QD device can be used to generate pure spin-up or spin-down currents in cold electrodes in the absence of bias voltages and magnetic materials. The underlying reason is a cooperative effect of the spin-dependent quantum interference effects originating from Rashba spin-orbit interaction in the QD and temperature gradients among the three electrodes. The working conditions for the single-spin-current thermal generator are also clearly presented. Moreover, we also find that the device can be converted from n-type to p-type or vice versa by a gate voltage.

Spatially Modulated Tunnel Magnetoresistance on the Nanoscale

We investigate the local tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) effect within a single Co nanoisland using spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscopy. We observe a clear spatial modulation of the TMR ratio with an amplitude of ~20% and a spacing of ~1.3 nm between maxima and minima around the Fermi level. This result can be ascribed to a spatially modulated spin polarization within the Co island due to spin-dependent quantum interference. Our combined experimental and theoretical study reveals that spin-dependent electron confinement affects all transport properties such as differential conductance, conductance, and TMR. We demonstrate that the TMR within a nanostructured magnetic tunnel junction can be controlled on a length scale of 1 nm through spin-dependent quantum interference.

Spin Transport in a Rashba Ring-Quantum Dot System Pumped by Microwave Fields

We report a theoretical study on producing electrically spin-polarized current in the Rashba ring with parallel double dots embedded, which are subject to two time-dependent microwave fields. By means of the Keldysh Green's function method, we present an analytic result of the pumped current at adiabatic limit and demonstrate that the interplay between the quantum pumping effect and spin-dependent quantum interference can lead to an arbitrarily controllable spin-polarized current in the device. The magnitude and direction of the charge and spin current can be effectively modulated by system parameters such as the pumping phase difference, Rashba precession phase, and the dynamic phase difference of electron traveling in two arms of ring; moreover, the spin-polarization degree of the charge current can also be tuned in the range [−∞, +∞]. Our findings may shed light on the all-electric way to produce the controllable spin-polarized charge current in the field of spintronics.

Spin-Dependent Quantum Interference Within a Single Magnetic Nanostructure

Quantum interference is a coherent quantum phenomenon that takes place in confined geometries. Using spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscopy, we found that quantum interference of electrons causes spatial modulation of spin polarization within a single magnetic nanostructure. We observed changes in both the sign and magnitude of the spin polarization on a subnanometer scale. A comparison of our experimental results with ab initio calculations shows that at a given energy, the modulation of the spin polarization can be ascribed to the difference between the spatially modulated local density of states of the majority spin and the nonmodulated minority spin contribution.

Andreev reflection in a mesoscopic hybrid four-terminal Rashba ring

The transport properties of a mesoscopic hybrid four-terminal Rashba ring are investigatedalong the lines of Blonder, Tinkham and Klapwijk and our attention is focused on theinfluence of Andreev reflection. Although the resonant peak and zero conductance resultingfrom spin-dependent quantum interference are destroyed by incoherent addition in thisfour-terminal structure, the total longitudinal electron conductance is still enhanced by theAndreev contribution. However, the contribution of the Andreev reflection to the spinHall conductance in this mesoscopic Rashba ring is negative and the total spinHall conductance is reduced. These results are robust to an external magneticflux.

Spin-dependent quantum interference from MgO thin films grown on Fe(0 0 1)

Spin-dependent electron reflection from MgO thin films grown on Fe(0 0 1) was investigated with spin-polarized low-energy electron microscopy (SPLEEM). We found the electron reflectivity exhibits quantum interference from MgO energy bands with Δ 1 symmetry, and a bulk-like MgO energy gap is fully established for MgO film thicker than 3 atomic monolayers. The spin-dependent electron reflectivity from the MgO/Fe interface oscillates with the MgO thickness, which was further proved by the magnetic domain imaging.

Spin-dependent quantum interference in single-wall carbon nanotubes with ferromagnetic contacts

We report the experimental observation of spin-induced magnetoresistance in single-wall carbon nanotubes contacted with high-transparency ferromagnetic electrodes. In the linear regime the spin-induced magnetoresistance oscillates with gate voltage in quantitative agreement with calculations based on a Landauer-B\"uttiker model for independent electrons. Consistent with this interpretation, we find evidence for bias-induced oscillation in the spin-induced magnetoresistance signal on the scale of the level spacing in the nanotube. At higher bias, the spin-induced magnetoresistance disappears because of a sharp decrease in the effective spin polarization injected from the ferromagnetic electrodes.

A Gate-Controlled Bidirectional Spin Filter Using Quantum Coherence

We demonstrate a quantum coherent electron spin filter by directly measuring the spin polarization of emitted current. The spin filter consists of an open quantum dot in an in-plane magnetic field; the in-plane field gives the two spin directions different Fermi wavelengths resulting in spin-dependent quantum interference of transport through the device. The gate voltage is used to select the preferentially transmitted spin, thus setting the polarity of the filter. This provides a fully electrical method for the creation and detection of spin-polarized currents. Polarizations of emitted current as high as 70% for both spin directions (either aligned or anti-aligned with the external field) are observed.