# Spin-orbit-induced hole spin relaxation in a quantum dot molecule: the effect of $s$-$p$ coupling

## TL;DR

This paper investigates how spin-orbit coupling and $s$-$p$ shell interactions in quantum dot molecules influence hole spin relaxation, revealing enhanced relaxation near resonance conditions due to strong spin mixing transfer.

## Contribution

It introduces an effective model capturing spin-orbit effects in $p$ shells and demonstrates how $s$-$p$ coupling affects hole spin relaxation in quantum dot molecules.

## Key findings

- Strong spin mixing in $p$ shell transfers to $s$ shell, increasing relaxation.
- Enhanced spin relaxation occurs near $s$-$p$ resonance when dots are misaligned.
- Magnetic field tilt influences the relaxation behavior.

## Abstract

We study the effect of the coupling between the hole $s$ shell of one quantum dot and the $p$ shell in the other dot forming a quantum dot molecule on the spin relaxation between the sublevels of the hole $s$ state. Using an effective model that captures the spin-orbit effects in the $p$ shell irrespective of their origin, we show that the strong spin mixing in the $p$ shell can be transferred to the $s$ shell of the other dot, leading to enhanced spin relaxation in a certain energy range around the $s$-$p$ resonance if the dots are misaligned and the magnetic field is tilted from the sample plane.