Quantum dots with Rashba spin-orbit coupling

TL;DR

This paper investigates how Rashba spin-orbit coupling influences the electronic structure and magnetic properties of few-electron quantum dots, revealing suppression of Hund's rule and emergence of spin textures.

Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis of spin-orbit effects on quantum dot ground states using spin density functional theory, highlighting novel magnetic behaviors.

Findings

Suppression of Hund's rule due to Rashba and exchange competition

Paramagnetic behavior induced by in-plane Zeeman field

Formation of spin textures in quantum dots

Abstract

We present results on the effects of spin-orbit coupling on the electronic structure of few-electron interacting quantum dots. The ground-state properties as a function of the number of electrons in the dot $N$ are calculated by means of spin density functional theory. We find a suppression of Hund's rule due to the competition of the Rashba effect and exchange interaction. Introducing an in-plane Zeeman field leads to a paramagnetic behavior of the dot in a closed shell configuration, and to spin texture in space.