Cyclotron motion and magnetic focusing in semiconductor quantum wells with spin-orbit coupling

TL;DR

This paper explores how spin-orbit coupling affects the ballistic motion of electrons in semiconductor quantum wells under magnetic fields, revealing complex quantum dynamics beyond semiclassical models.

Contribution

It provides a full quantum analysis of electron trajectories in quantum wells with spin-orbit interaction, extending understanding beyond semiclassical approximations.

Findings

Modification of classical cyclotron orbits due to spin-orbit coupling

Rich quantum dynamics at energies near the cyclotron energy

Limitations of semiclassical models in certain regimes

Abstract

We investigate the ballistic motion of electrons in III-V semiconductor quantum wells with Rashba spin-orbit coupling in a perpendicular magnetic field. Taking into account the full quantum dynamics of the problem, we explore the modifications of classical cyclotron orbits due to spin-orbit interaction. As a result, for electron energies comparable with the cyclotron energy the dynamics are particularly rich and not adequately described by semiclassical approximations. Our study is complementary to previous semiclassical approaches concentrating on the regime of weaker fields.