When graphene is placed on a substrate of heavy metal, the Rashba spin-orbit interaction of substantial strength can occur. In an open system such as a quantum dot, the interaction can induce spin polarization. Would classical dynamics have any effect on the spin polarization? Here we consider the quantum-dot setting, where the Rashba interaction is confined within the central scattering region...

Employing the spin degree of freedom of charge carriers offers the possibility to extend the functionality of conventional electronic devices, while colloidal chemistry can be used to synthesize inexpensive and tunable nanomaterials. Here, in order to benefit from both concepts, we investigate Rashba spin-orbit interaction in colloidal lead sulphide nanosheets by electrical measurements on the ...

We investigate the spin dynamics and relaxation in remotely doped two dimensional electron systems where the dopants lead to random fluctuations of the Rashba spin-orbit coupling. Due to the resulting random-spin precession, the spin-relaxation time is limited by the strength and spatial scale of the random contribution to the spin-orbit coupling. We concentrate on the role of the randomness fo...

We study the optically induced torques in thin film ferromagnetic layers under excitation by circularly polarized light. We study cases both with and without Rashba spin-orbit coupling using a 4-band model. In the absence of Rashba spin-orbit coupling, we derive an analytic expression for the optical torques, revealing the conditions under which the torque is mostly derived from optical spin tr...

An electron traveling through an electric field experiences, in its rest frame, a magnetic field that interacts with the electron’s magnetic moment. This interaction is the basis of spin-orbit coupling, which causes a splitting of the energies of electrons in atoms depending on their spin state. In the case of electrons traveling along an interface between two different semiconductors, the tran...

Wedemonstrate that sp based trigonal lattice can exhibit giant Rashba splitting and two large topological gaps simultaneously. First, an effective tight bindingmodel is developed to describe the Rashba spin–orbit coupling (SOC) on a real surface and give a topological phase diagrambased on two independent SOCparameters. Second, based on density functional theory calculations, it is proposed tha...

This article presents an overview of results pertaining to electronic structure, transport properties, and interaction effects in ballistic quantum wires with Rashba spin splitting. Limits of weak and strong spin–orbit coupling are distinguished, and spin properties of the electronic states elucidated. The case of strong Rashba spin splitting where the spin–precession length is comparable to th...

We measured gate voltage-dependent Aharonov–Bohm oscillations in an InGaAs-based two-dimensional electron gas ring with a gate on top of one of the branches. After ensemble averaging, the h=e oscillation spectrum showed smooth oscillatory behavior as a function of the gate voltage. This could be a manifestation of the spin–orbit interaction induced interference. ? 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All...

We report investigation of the spin relaxation in InAs films grown on GaAs at a temperature range from 77 K to 290 K. InAs is known to have a surface accumulation layer and the depth profile of the concentration and mobility is strongly nonuniform. We have correlated the spin relaxation with a multilayer analysis of the transport properties and find that the surface and the interface with the G...