Spin control in semiconductor quantum wires

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates how an in-plane magnetic field can suppress spin-flip rotation caused by Rashba and Dresselhaus interactions in semiconductor quantum wires, revealing a new symmetry and proposing an experimental measurement method.

Contribution

It introduces a novel symmetry condition that suppresses spin-flip rotation in quantum wires with arbitrary Rashba and Dresselhaus strengths, and suggests an experimental approach to measure these interactions.

Findings

Spin-flip rotation can be suppressed by an in-plane magnetic field.

A new symmetry explains the suppression at specific magnetic field conditions.

Proposes an experiment to measure Rashba and Dresselhaus interaction strengths.

Abstract

We show that spin-flip rotation in a semiconductor quantum wire, caused by the Rashba and the Dresselhaus interactions (both of arbitrary strengths), can be suppressed by dint of an in-plane magnetic field. We found a new type of symmetry, which arises at a particular set of intensity and orientation of the magnetic field and explains this suppression. Based on our findings, we propose a transport experiment to measure the strengths of the Rashba and the Dresselhaus interactions.