Rashba interaction in quantum wires with in-plane magnetic fields

TL;DR

This paper investigates how Rashba spin-orbit interaction and in-plane magnetic fields influence the spectral and transport properties of ballistic quantum wires, revealing the importance of intersubband coupling and its effects on conductance and spin textures.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive analysis of the combined effects of Rashba interaction and in-plane magnetic fields on quantum wire properties, highlighting the role of intersubband coupling.

Findings

Interplay between Rashba precession and intersubband coupling is crucial near magnetic field induced gaps.

Intersubband coupling limits negative effective masses at gap edges.

Magnetic fields influence the spin texture and conductance in quantum wires.

Abstract

We analyze the spectral and transport properties of ballistic quasi one-dimensional systems in the presence of spin-orbit coupling and in-plane agnetic fields. Our results demonstrate that Rashba precession and intersubband coupling must be treated on equal footing for wavevectors near the magnetic field induced gaps. We find that intersubband coupling limits the occurrence of negative effective masses at the gap edges and modifies the linear conductance curves in the strong coupling limit. The effect of the magnetic field on the spin textured orientation of the wire magnetization is discussed.