Spin relaxation in a GaAs quantum dot embedded inside a suspended phonon cavity

TL;DR

This paper theoretically investigates phonon-induced spin relaxation in a GaAs quantum dot within a suspended phonon cavity, revealing conditions for enhanced or suppressed relaxation rates and a transition from confined to bulk-like behavior.

Contribution

It introduces a detailed theoretical analysis of spin relaxation mechanisms in quantum dots embedded in suspended cavities, highlighting the effects of phonon singularities and system size.

Findings

Enhanced relaxation due to phonon van Hove singularities

Suppressed relaxation when deformation potential vanishes

Crossover from confined to bulk-like behavior with slab width variation

Abstract

The phonon-induced spin relaxation in a two-dimensional quantum dot embedded inside a semiconductor slab is investigated theoretically. An enhanced relaxation rate is found due to the phonon van Hove singularities. Oppositely, a vanishing deformation potential may also result in a suppression of the spin relaxation rate. For larger quantum dots, the interplay between the spin orbit interaction and Zeeman levels causes the suppression of the relaxation at several points. Furthermore, a crossover from confined to bulk-like systems is obtained by varying the width of the slab.