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Updated: Jul 11, 2026

Measurement of Quantum Interference in a Silicon Ring Resonator Photon Source
Published on: April 4, 2017
Spin-orbit coupling induced interference in quantum corrals
1Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA. jwalls@fas.harvard.edu
Abstract:
Lack of inversion symmetry at a metallic surface can lead to an observable spin-orbit interaction. For certain metal surfaces, such as the Au(111) surface, the experimentally observed spin-orbit coupling results in spin rotation lengths on the order of tens of nanometers, which is the typical length scale associated with quantum corral structures formed on metal surfaces. In this work, multiple scattering theory is used to calculate the local density of states (LDOS) of quantum corral structures composed of nonmagnetic adatoms in the presence of spin-orbit coupling. Contrary to previous theoretical predictions, spin-orbit coupling induced modulations are observed in the theoretical LDOS, which should be observable using scanning tunneling microscopy.
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