Electron Spin Precession Research Articles

Spin noise of localized electrons: Interplay of hopping and hyperfine interaction

The theory of spin fluctuations is developed for an ensemble of localized electrons taking into account both hyperfine interaction of electron and nuclear spins and electron hopping between the sites. The analytical expression for the spin noise spectrum is derived for arbitrary relation between the electron spin precession frequency in the field of the nuclear fluctuation and the hopping rate. An increase in the hopping rate results in the drastic change of the spin noise spectrum. The effect of an external magnetic field is briefly addressed.

Gate controlled electronic transport in monolayer MoS2 field effect transistor

The electronic spin and valley transport properties of a monolayer MoS2 are investigated using the non-equilibrium Green's function formalism combined with density functional theory. Due to the presence of strong Rashba spin orbit interaction (RSOI), the electronic valence bands of monolayer MoS2 are split into spin up and spin down Zeeman-like texture near the two inequivalent vertices K and K′ of the first Brillouin zone. When the gate voltage is applied in the scattering region, an additional strong RSOI is induced which generates an effective magnetic field. As a result, electron spin precession occurs along the effective magnetic field, which is controlled by the gate voltage. This, in turn, causes the oscillation of conductance as a function of the magnitude of the gate voltage and the length of the gate region. This current modulation due to the spin precession shows the essential feature of the long sought Datta-Das field effect transistor (FET). From our results, the oscillation periods for the gate voltage and gate length are found to be approximately 2.2 V and 20.03aB (aB is Bohr radius), respectively. These observations can be understood by a simple spin precessing model and indicate that the electron behaviors in monolayer MoS2 FET are both spin and valley related and can easily be controlled by the gate.

Transition between one-dimensional and zero-dimensional spin transport studied by Hanle precession

The precession of electron spins in a perpendicular magnetic field, the so called Hanle effect, provides an unique insight into spin properties of a non-magnetic material. In practice, the spin signal is fitted to the analytic solution of the spin Bloch equation, which accounts for diffusion, relaxation and precession effects on spin. The analytic formula, however, is derived for an infinite length of the 1D spin channel. This is usually not satisfied in the real devices. The finite size of the channel length $l_{\text{dev}}$ leads to confinement of spins and increase of spin accumulation. Moreover, reflection of spins from the channel ends leads to spin interference, altering the characteristic precession lineshape. In this work we study the influence of finite $l_{\text{dev}}$ on the Hanle lineshape and show when it can lead to a two-fold discrepancy in the extracted spin coefficients. We propose the extension of the Hanle analytic formula to include the geometrical aspects of the real device and get an excellent agreement with a finite-element model of spin precession, where this geometry is explicitly set. We also demonstrate that in the limit of a channel length shorter than the spin relaxation length $\lambda_{s}$, the spin diffusion is negligible and a 0D spin transport description, with Lorentzian precession dependence applies. We provide a universal criterion for which transport description, 0D or 1D, to apply depending on the ratio $l_{\text{dev}}/\lambda_{s}$ and the corresponding accuracy of such a choice.

Spin noise spectroscopy of a single quantum well microcavity

We report on the first experimental observation of spin noise in a single semiconductor quantum well embedded into a microcavity. The great cavity-enhanced sensitivity to fluctuations of optical anisotropy has allowed us to measure the Kerr rotation and ellipticity noise spectra in the strong coupling regime. The spin noise spectra clearly show two resonant features: a conventional magneto-resonant component shifting towards higher frequencies with magnetic field and an unusual "nonmagnetic" component centered at zero frequency and getting suppressed with increasing magnetic field. We attribute the first of them to the Larmor precession of free electron spins, while the second one being presumably due to hyperfine electron-nuclei spin interactions.

Spin coherence of electrons and holes in ZnSe‐based quantum wells studied by pump–probe Kerr rotation

Spin coherence of resident electrons and holes is measured in ZnSe‐based quantum wells by means of time‐resolved Kerr rotation technique. At a temperature of 1.8 K spin dephasing time for localized electrons can be as long as 33 ns, and for holes of 0.8 ns. Electron spin precession is clearly observed in a wide temperature range up to 230 K. The electron spin dephasing becomes much shorter of 0.2 ns for the quantum well with a high‐density electron gas. Using vector magnet all components of the g‐factors tensor are evaluated for the electrons and heavy‐holes, revealing strong anisotropy for the heavy‐holes.

MTV-G experiment: Probing non-standard strong gravitational field at nuclear scale using geodetic precession

A new experiment named MTV-G, probing a large electron spin-precession due to a possible strong gravitational field, which predicted by large extra dimension model, is started at TRIUMF from 2011. In an electron-nuclear scattering experiment, a strong gravitational field is tested as a large spin precession effect caused by geodetic precession predicted by general relativity theory as a result of a warped space-time around nuclei. Experimental design using spin polarized electron source and Mott-spin analyzer, commissioning experiment and the preliminary results are described.

Order of Magnitude Smaller Limit on the Electric Dipole Moment of the Electron

The Standard Model of particle physics is known to be incomplete. Extensions to the Standard Model, such as weak-scale supersymmetry, posit the existence of new particles and interactions that are asymmetric under time reversal (T) and nearly always predict a small yet potentially measurable electron electric dipole moment (EDM), d(e), in the range of 10(-27) to 10(-30) e·cm. The EDM is an asymmetric charge distribution along the electron spin (S(→)) that is also asymmetric under T. Using the polar molecule thorium monoxide, we measured d(e) = (-2.1 ± 3.7stat ± 2.5syst) × 10(-29) e·cm. This corresponds to an upper limit of |d(e)| < 8.7 × 10(-29) e·cm with 90% confidence, an order of magnitude improvement in sensitivity relative to the previous best limit. Our result constrains T-violating physics at the TeV energy scale.

MTV-G experiment : probing a non-standard strong gravitational field at nuclear scale using geodetic precession

The MTV-G project has started in 2011 to explore a strong gravitational field around nuclei utilizing an experimental technique developed to search time reversal symmetry violation in nuclear beta decay experiment at a radioactive beam facility. A large electron spin-precession due to a possible strong gravitational field, which has been predicted by a large extra dimension model, is investigated in an electron-nuclear scattering experiment at TRIUMF. The experimental design, which use a spin polarized electron source and a Mott-spin analyzer, the commissioning experiment, the preliminary results, together with an introduction to the next generation device, are described in this article.

Spin torque on the surface of graphene in the presence of spin orbit splitting

We study theoretically the spin transfer torque of a ferromagnetic layer coupled to (deposited onto) a graphene surface in the presence of the Rashba spin orbit coupling (RSOC). We show that the RSOC induces an effective magnetic field, which will result in the spin precession of conduction electrons. We derive correspondingly the generalized Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert (LLG) equation, which describes the precessional motion of local magnetization under the influence of the spin orbit effect. Our theoretical estimate indicates that the spin orbit spin torque may have significant effect on the magnetization dynamics of the ferromagnetic layer coupled to the graphene surface.

Electron spin dynamics and optical orientation of Mn2+ ions in GaAs

We present an overview of spin-related phenomena in GaAs doped with low concentration of Mn-acceptors (below 1018 cm−3). We use the combination of different experimental techniques such as spin-flip Raman scattering and time-resolved photoluminescence. This allows to evaluate the time evolution of both electron and Mn spins. We show that optical orientation of Mn ions is possible under application of weak magnetic field, which is required to suppress the manganese spin relaxation. The optically oriented Mn2+ ions maintain the spin and return part of the polarization back to the electron spin system providing a long-lived electron spin memory. This leads to a bunch of spectacular effects such as non-exponential electron spin decay and spin precession in the effective exchange fields.

Barrier tunneling time of an electron in graphene

With the help of electron spin-coherent-state, we theoretically investigate the quantum tunneling time of a Dirac electron through a rectangular potential-barrier in monolayer graphene. It is shown that the tunneling time, which is measured in terms of the electron-spin precession in the magnetic field confined in the barrier region, is equal to the dwell time. Moreover, when the wave function in barrier is an oscillating mode, the curve of tunneling-time against the barrier-width oscillates around an increasing average-line. While for the wave function of an evanescent mode, the tunneling time is independent of the barrier width. In particular, the tunneling time just equals the potential width divided by the Fermi velocity in the Klein tunneling.

Advanced cold molecule electron EDM

Measurement of a non-zero electric dipole moment (EDM) of the electron within a few orders of magnitude of the current best limit of |d_e| < 1.05 e -27 e cm would be an indication of physics beyond the Standard Model. The ACME Collaboration is searching for an electron EDM by performing a precision measurement of electron spin precession in the metastable H state of thorium monoxide (ThO) using a slow, cryogenic beam. We discuss the current status of the experiment. Based on a data set acquired from 14 hours of running time over a period of 2 days, we have achieved a 1-sigma statistical uncertainty of 1 e -28 e cm/T^(1/2), where T is the running time in days.

Electric Field-Driven Coherent Spin Reorientation of Optically Generated Electron Spin Packets in InGaAs

Full electric-field control of spin orientations is one of the key tasks in semiconductor spintronics. We demonstrate that electric-field pulses can be utilized for phase-coherent ±π spin rotation of optically generated electron spin packets in InGaAs epilayers detected by time-resolved Faraday rotation. Through spin-orbit interaction, the electric-field pulses act as local magnetic field pulses. By the temporal control of the local magnetic field pulses, we can turn on and off electron spin precession and thereby rotate the spin direction into arbitrary orientations in a two-dimensional plane. Furthermore, we demonstrate a spin-echo-type spin drift experiment and find an unexpected partial spin rephasing, which is evident by a doubling of the spin dephasing time.

Comparison of quantum-mechanical and semiclassical approaches for an analysis of spin dynamics in quantum dots

Two approaches to the description of spin dynamics of electron-nuclear system in quantum dots are compared: the quantum-mechanical one is based on direct diagonalization of the model Hamiltonian and semiclassical one is based on coupled equations for precession of mean electron spin and mean spin of nuclear spin fluctuations. The comparison was done for a model problem describing periodic excitation of electron-nuclear system by optical excitation. The computation results show that scattering of parameters related to fluctuation of the nuclear spin system leads to appearance of an ordered state in the system caused by periodic excitation and to the effect of electron-spin mode locking in an external magnetic field. It is concluded that both models can qualitatively describe the mode-locking effect, however give significantly different quantitative results. This may indicate the limited applicability of the precession model for describing the spin dynamics in quantum dots in the presence of optical pumping.

Electron spin synchronization induced by optical nuclear magnetic resonance feedback

We predict a new physical mechanism explaining the electron spin precession frequency focusing effect observed recently in singly charged quantum dots exposed to a periodic train of resonant circularly polarized short optical pulses [A. Greilich et al, Science 317, 1896 (2007), Ref. 1]. We show that electron spin precession in an external magnetic field and a field of nuclei creates a Knight field oscillating at the frequency of nuclear spin resonance. This field drives the projection of the nuclear spin onto magnetic field to the value that makes the electron spin precession frequency a multiple of the train cyclic repetition frequency, which is the condition at which the Knight field vanishes.

Electronic spin precession in graphene-based superlattice with periodical gate and magnetic modulation

The spin precession in graphene superlattice with periodically modulated electrostatic field and efficient exchange field is investigated theoretically. It is found that the efficient exchange field can induce a spin precession, which is different from the case of the Rashba spin–orbit interaction. The spin precession is complete isoamplitude for normal incidence. For inclined incidence, the precession disappears when the effective exchange field is set into a certain range. It is also found periodical electrostatic field can revive the disappeared precession, but electronic transport is suppressed, which leads to some dips in the conductance spectrum.

Coherent spin dynamics of donor bound electrons in GaAs

We report experimental studies of coherent spin dynamics of donor-bound electrons in high-purity GaAs by using transient differential transmission. The donor-bound exciton transitions, which are not visible in the linear absorption spectrum, are spectrally resolved in the nonlinear differential transmission spectra. The spin beats in the transient differential transmission response, arising from electron spin precession in an external magnetic field, are investigated with the pump and probe coupling to various donor-bound exciton transitions. The spectral dependence of the spin beats provides important information on the polarization selection rule for the underlying donor-bound exciton transitions. The polarization selection rules deduced from these experiments indicate that contributions from higher-energy donor-bound exciton transitions can severely limit the effectiveness of optical spin control using mechanisms such as polarization-dependent optical Stark shifts.

Ultimate Limit of Electron-Spin Precession upon Reflection in Ferromagnetic Films

We report the discovery of 180° electron-spin precession in spin-polarized electron-reflection experiments on Fe films on Ag(001), the largest possible precession angle in a single electron reflection. Both experiments as a function of Fe film thickness and ab initio calculations show that the appearance of this ultimate spin precession depends with utmost sensitivity on the relaxation of the Fe surface layers during growth. Similar spin precession is also predicted for other ferromagnetic films.

Effect of electron spin-spin exchange interaction on spin precession in coupled quantum well

Electron spin-spin interaction in an asymmetric coupled quantum well (CQW) was investigated through electron spin-precession measurements. Precession (Larmor) frequencies from electrons localized in two CQWs were measured by means of polarization- and time-resolved photoluminescence measurements under a high magnetic field. At a low excitation power density, the Larmor frequency of the CQW was same as that of a single quantum well. The Larmor frequency of electron spin in one well was shifted to that in the other well as the excitation power density was increased. These experimental results are quantitatively explained by an exchange interaction between electrons localized in the two wells.

Polarized beam conditioning in plasma based acceleration

The acceleration of polarized electron beams in the blowout regime of plasma-based acceleration is explored. An analytical model for the spin precession of single beam electrons, and depolarization rates of zero emittance electron beams, is derived. The role of finite emittance is examined numerically by solving the equations for the spin precession with a spin tracking algorithm. The analytical model is in very good agreement with the results from 3D particle-in-cell simulations in the limits of validity of our theory. Our work shows that the beam depolarization is lower for high-energy accelerator stages, and that under the appropriate conditions, the depolarization associated with the acceleration of 100-500 GeV electrons can be kept below 0.1-0.2%.