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Influence of an electric field on the spin polarization in semiconductor superlattices
1Paul-Drude-Institut für Festkörperelektronik, Hausvogteiplatz 5-7, 10117 Berlin, Germany.
Abstract:
The influence of a quantizing electric field on the spin polarization is treated for semiconductor superlattices with a Rashba spin-orbit interaction. For weakly coupled superlattices, the quantum kinetic equation for the canonically transformed density matrix is analytically solved. The spin polarization, which is induced by a magnetic field via the Zeeman splitting, exhibits a sharp minimum at the cyclotron-Stark tunnelling resonance. This electric-field-induced resonant tunnelling mixes different spin states and leads to a strong spin depolarization.
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