Spin-Orbit Berry Phase in a Quantum Loop

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates the presence of spin-orbit Berry phase in the conductance of a mesoscopic quantum loop with Rashba coupling, highlighting differences from straight wires and exploring non-adiabatic effects at small loop radii.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed comparison of conductance in quantum loops and wires to identify spin-orbit Berry phase effects in mesoscopic systems.

Findings

Identification of spin-orbit Berry phase in conductance measurements.

Differences in transmission probabilities between loops and wires.

Observation of non-adiabatic effects at small loop radii.

Abstract

We have found a manifestation of spin-orbit Berry phase in the conductance of a mesoscopic loop with Rashba spin-orbit coupling placed in an external magnetic field perpendicular to the loop plane. In detail, the transmission probabilities for a straight quantum wire and for a quantum loop made of the same wire have been calculated and compared with each other. The difference between them has been investigated and identified with a manifestation of spin-orbit Berry phase. The non-adiabaticity effects at small radii of the loop have been found as well.