Search arXivSearch

arXiv · cond-mat/0403394

Spin Depolarization in Quantum Wires Polarized Spontaneously in a Zero Magnetic Field

Abstract

The conditions for a spontaneous spin polarization in a quantum wire positioned in a zero magnetic field are analyzed under weak population of one-dimensional subbands that gives rise to the efficient quenching of the kinetic energy by the exchange energy of carriers. The critical linear concentration of carriers above which the quasi one-dimensional gas undergoes a complete spin depolarization is determined by the Hartree-Fock approximation. The dependence of the critical linear concentration on the concentration of carriers is defined to reveal the interplay of the spin depolarization with the evolution of the 0.7 (2e2/h) feature in the quantum conductance staircase from the e2/h to 3/2 (e2/h) values. This dependence is used to study the effect of the hole concentration on the 0.7 (2e2/h) feature in the quantum conductance staircase of the quantum wire prepared inside the p-type silicon quantum well using the split-gate technique. The 1D channel is demonstrated to be spin-polarized at the linear concentration of holes lower than the critical linear concentration, because the 0.7 (2e2/h) feature is close to the value of 0.5 (2e2/h) that indicates the spin degeneracy lifting for the first step of the quantum conductance staircase. The 0.7 (2e2/h) feature is found to take however its normal magnitude when the linear concentration of holes attains the critical value corresponding to the spin depolarization. The variations in the height of the 0.7 (2e2/h) feature observed in the hole quantum conductance staircase that is revealed by the p-type silicon quantum wire seem to be related to the evidences of the quantum conductance staircase obtained by varying the concentration of electrons in the 1D channel prepared inside the GaAs-AlGaAs heterojunction.

Explore related subjects

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

N. T. Bagraev, V. K. Ivanov, L. E. Klyachkin, I. A. Shelykh. 2004-03-16. Spin Depolarization in Quantum Wires Polarized Spontaneously in a Zero Magnetic Field. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevb.70.155315

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related papers

Benzo-bis(imidazole) self-assembled monolayers molecular junctions in meta or para conformation: effects of protonation on the electrical and thermal conductances

We report the thermal conductances of molecular junctions made of self-assembled monolayers of benzo-bis(imidazole) molecules, without side groups or functionalized with two phenylamine side groups. In the two cases, when the molecules are connected to the electrodes by thiol anchoring groups in the meta-position, the thermal conductance is decreased compared to the same molecules connected in the para-position (ca. 16-29 nW/K and ca. 37-40 nW/K, respectively) in agreement with the theoretically predicted phonon interference effect in molecular junctions. Upon protonation, the thermal conductances of the meta-connected molecular junction increase by about 50% (reversible behavior upon deprotonation). The fact that only the thermal conductance of the meta-connected molecular junction is sensitive to the protonation/deprotonation is tentatively related to modifications of the structural organization of the molecules in the monolayer, which modifies the thermal conductance at the molecule/electrode interfaces. The electrical conductance is lower for the meta-connected molecule than for the para-connected one, due to destructive quantum interferences, as expected and reported for other molecular junctions. The conductance further decreases (reversibly) upon protonation. The energy position of the molecular orbital involved in the electron transport is not modified by the protonation and the decrease in current is related to changes in the molecule organization in the monolayer, which modulate the electronic coupling energy at the molecule/electrode interfaces.

cond-mat.mes-hall

Hydrodynamics of two-dimensional electrons due to scattering by disorder

The hydrodynamic regime of electron transport, induced by fast inter-electron collisions, was discovered in high-quality nanostructures in recent ten years. However, signs of hydrodynamic transport, primarily, the giant negative magnetoresistance, were observed even at very low temperatures, when electron-electron scattering is too weak to affect the transport. To address this puzzle, here we develop a theory of mixed, hydrodynamic and non-Markovian, magnetotransport of two-dimensional electrons at zero temperature in samples with weak but still important disorder. Namely, we account for both the memory effects at electron scattering by localized defects in magnetic field and an unconventional viscosity effect due to electron scattering by defects in bulk and by rough sample edges. Solution of the model yields a strong negative magnetoresistance, which exhibits at zero magnetic field a sharp maximum in narrower samples or a blunt maximum in wider samples. This and other our results explain various properties of the giant negative magnetoresistance observed on ultra-high-quality GaAs quantum wells, thereby we apparently reveal the nature of low-temperature magnetotransport in these systems.

cond-mat.mes-hall

Symplectic Hopf Insulator: Delicate Topology in Bosonic Bogoliubov-de Gennes Systems

Recent advances in topological phases have highlighted the role of symplectic (Krein-space) topology in the classification of bosonic Bogoliubov-de Gennes (BBdG) systems. In this work, we construct a BBdG realization of Hopf topology, which we dub the symplectic Hopf insulator, starting from a microscopic Bose-Hubbard generalization of the Moore-Ran-Wen model with weak on-site interactions treated within a Bogoliubov approximation. The resulting BBdG system admits a symplectic Hopf invariant, which we show to be integer-quantized for isolated bands. We establish that this topology is intrinsically delicate, requiring exactly two bosonic modes per unit cell, while remaining robust against weak interactions over a range of mass parameters. Upon terminating the three-dimensional insulator at a boundary, we find topologically protected in-gap surface states at finite excitation energy, whose protection is itself delicate. Our results establish the symplectic Hopf insulator as a robust yet delicate topological phase in weakly interacting bosonic systems lying beyond the tenfold-way classification.

cond-mat.mes-hall