Pauli Spin Blockade in the Presence of Strong Spin-Orbit Coupling

TL;DR

This paper investigates how strong spin-orbit coupling affects electron transport and spin blockade in double quantum dots, providing insights into magnetic field effects and proposing methods to extend blockade observation range.

Contribution

It introduces a modified interdot tunnel coupling model to incorporate spin-orbit effects and analyzes the influence of magnetic and nuclear fields on spin blockade.

Findings

Qualitative agreement with experimental data

Extended magnetic field range for observing blockade

Insights into spin relaxation mechanisms

Abstract

We study electron transport in a double quantum dot in the Pauli spin blockade regime, in the presence of strong spin-orbit coupling. The effect of spin-orbit coupling is incorporated into a modified interdot tunnel coupling. We elucidate the role of the external magnetic field, the nuclear fields in the dots, and spin relaxation. We find qualitative agreement with experimental observations, and we propose a way to extend the range of magnetic fields in which blockade can be observed.