2007/03/31 by Dominik Stich, D. Stich, J. H. Jiang +10
Physics and Astronomy · #Anisotropy #Condensed matter physics #Dephasing #Electron #Magnetic field #Magnetic properties of thin films #Physics #Physics of Superconductivity and Magnetism #Quantum and electron transport phenomena #Quantum mechanics #Spin (aerodynamics) #Spins #cond-mat.mes-hall #cond-mat.mtrl-sci
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevb.76.073309
published as Phys. Rev. B 76, 073309 (2007) · 4 pages, 4 figures, to be published in PRB
arxiv created 2007/07/19 · openalex publication_date 2007/08/14 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
In time-resolved Faraday rotation experiments, we have detected an in-plane anisotropy of the electron spin-dephasing time (SDT) in an n-modulation-doped GaAs∕Al0.3Ga0.7As single quantum well. The SDT was measured with magnetic fields of B\ensuremath\leqslant1\phantom\rule0.3em0exT, applied in the [110] and [110] in-plane crystal directions of the GaAs quantum well. For fields along [110], we have found up to a factor of about 2 larger SDT than in the perpendicular direction. The observed SDTs also show strong anisotropic magnetic-field dependence. Fully microscopic calculations, by numerically solving the kinetic spin Bloch equations considering the D'yakonov-Perel' and the Bir-Aronov-Pikus mechanisms, reproduce the experimental findings quantitatively. This quantitative analysis of the data allowed us to determine the relative strengths of Rashba and Dresselhaus terms in our sample. Moreover, we could predict the SDT for spins aligned in the [110] in-plane direction to be on the order of several nanoseconds, which is up to 2 orders of magnitude larger than that in the perpendicular in-plane direction.